pepe_prime comments on Neutralizing Physical Annoyances - Less Wrong

12 Post author: SquirrelInHell 12 September 2016 04:36PM

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Comment author: NancyLebovitz 13 September 2016 12:41:12AM 4 points [-]

Relax when trying to remember something instead of making an effort.

Comment author: pepe_prime 18 September 2016 09:29:43AM 0 points [-]

I disagree. Sure, research shows that memory formation is improved when you relax. If I want to remember a specific fact though, it helps me to mentally search for contextual clues around where I learned the fact.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong though - any research or convincing anecdotes on this?

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 20 September 2016 06:04:05AM 1 point [-]

All I've got is personal experience. Sometimes relaxing is speeding up the process of "When I stopped thinking about it, it popped into my mind".

I search for contextual clues, and sometimes it works. However, if I'm stuck on some idea about what the right answer is, but that isn't working, relaxing can help.