Have you noticed that you receive appointment reminder postcards from your dentist, but not your hairdresser?  Ever wonder why?  Read on to find out.

PII? No, that’s not a typographical error in the title. PII is an acronym for Positive Attitude, Interest, and Intention. These are three things you need to have to have if you want to be better at remembering. First, you need to have a “Positive Attitude.” When you approach a situation in which you need to learn and remember new information, do you have thoughts such as, “Oh, I can’t possibly remember this”?  If you do, you’re setting your brain up for failure! Your brain is much more likely to perform efficiently if you approach such situations positively. One study found that people who were told that memory is a skill they could improve actually scored higher on tests of memory skills than those who were not told this. Don’t make forgetfulness a self-fulfilling prophecy:  you can do it if you think you can!

Second, you need to have “Interest.” We remember best those things which are of interest to us. Think about the third or fourth grade child who says he can’t learn his multiplication tables because he has a “bad memory.”  Isn’t this the same child who, at recess, can effortlessly rattle off the names and batting averages of his favorite team’s players? Is it really his memory that is the problem? Or is it his level of interest in multiplication versus baseball? We adults are guilty of the same interest-dependent memory. So, to better remember something, try to be interested in it.

Third, you need to have “Intention.” Sometimes it’s not sufficient just to be positive and interested; you may have to have a definite intention in order to successfully remember something. Dr. Joyce Brothers memorized an encyclopedia of information about boxing in order to get on a television game show, which she did, and she won $64,000!  Motivation and intention greatly increase your success at remembering.

So, if you wish to have a better memory, have some PII regularly.