It is the excuse bored students and restless businessman have been waiting for. Scientists say we may find it easier to remember something if we take a break from it and do something more exciting instead.
The researchers say chemicals triggered in one part of the brain by new experiences could help enhance our memory.
Pupils revising for an exam might benefit from putting their books to one side and playing an action-packed video game, while someone learning a speech might want to hit the tennis court.
The thrill of a rollercoaster ride may also burn dull information into the grey matter.
The suggestions come from neuroscientists in the UK and US who found that an attention-grabbing experience triggers such a rush of chemicals that memories of what occurred just before or just afterwards are etched into the brain, alongside an extra-detailed recollection of the event itself.
The find helps why people tend to remember certain events in their lives particularly clearly, as well as unrelated details surrounding those events: for instance, what they did the evening after the September 11 terrorist attacks or what they had for breakfast the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
A spokesman for the team said: ‘Imagine if playing a new video game or riding a rollercoaster could help you prepare for an exam or remember other critical information.
‘A new study shows it’s possible.’
Scientists from the Edinburgh University-led project trained mice on a task that involved remembering the location of food pellets hidden in sand.
When the creatures were given something unusual to do after being shown where the pellets were, they were better at finding them again a day later.
Further experiments, detailed in the journal Nature, showed the novelty of the new experience triggered the release of the memory-enhancing chemical dopamine from a tiny part of the brain called the locus coeruleus.
This rush of chemicals enhances the laying down of memories in another part of the brain.
Crucially, information about events that occurred on either side of the main event is caught up in the process.
The discovery, made in conjunction with researchers at UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas, could make exam revision more pleasant for millions.
