Reading out loud ‘helps you remember things better’

Reading out loud may be found annoying and distracting by everyone else but the person doing it, but a new study says it’s actually a good thing.

According to Canadian researchers, the act of reading out loud improves your memory retention.

To make the determination, the researchers asked 95 people to remember written information in four different ways. They include; reading the information silently; hearing someone else read it; listening to a recording of themselves reading it, and reading it aloud.

Reading out loud, it was found, was the most reliable way to remember information.

According to Colin MacLeod, study co-author, “this confirms that learning and memory benefit from active involvement”.

MacLeod is chair of the psychology department of the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

“When we add an active measure or a production element to a word, that word becomes more distinct in long-term memory, and hence more memorable,” he said.

“This study suggests that the idea of action or activity also improves memory. That adds to existing knowledge that regular exercise and movement are also strong building blocks for a good memory.”

The findings were published in the journal Memory.