Best Brain Exercises to Improve Memory

Short answer: learning genuinely new skills, active recall practice, and socially engaging mental activities have more research support for memory than passive brain-training apps or repetitive puzzles.

Learning a genuinely new skill

Research on cognitive reserve consistently favors learning something unfamiliar — a new language, instrument, or skill — over repeating tasks you're already good at. Novelty and challenge are the key ingredients, not repetition.

Active recall practice

Actively trying to remember information (rather than passively re-reading it) strengthens memory more effectively — a principle well established in learning-science research, applicable to daily life as well as studying.

Where brain-training apps fall short

Commercial brain-training games often improve performance on the specific game itself, but research on whether that improvement transfers to real-world memory and cognitive function is mixed at best. They're not harmful, but they shouldn't be relied on as a primary strategy.

Socially engaging mental activities

Activities that combine mental challenge with social interaction — group discussions, team games, teaching someone else — appear to offer combined benefits from both mental stimulation and social connection.

Simple daily practices

• Try recalling your day before checking your calendar — active recall practice
• Read something genuinely challenging, not just familiar material
• Vary your routine occasionally — new routes, new activities, keeping the brain engaged with novelty

The bigger picture

Mental exercise is one pillar among several. See our keeping your brain sharp guide for how it fits alongside cardiovascular health and social connection.