Hi Unpopular Science Buddies! I hope everyone is having a great summer.
It has been a hot minute since I’ve connected with you. But, maybe taking breaks isn’t such a bad idea, or at least that is what our new article suggests. In this month’s installment we look at a research review done by Robertson (see link below) regarding the connection between memory and taking rests during learning. It has been long known that rest in the form of sleep helps our body learn and create new memories, but newer research suggests that taking micro-rests or going “offline” (for even just a few seconds) between learning new tasks can actually improve memory and our ability to master these new tasks. What is even more exciting is that the rest break only needs to be 10 seconds. That is less than 2 cycles of breath for the average person.
If you are like me, life seems to fly by; I wake up and am in go mode until I put my head back on my pillow at night. This isn’t a pace I prefer and at the end of the day I can’t even recall all the crazy things that kept me busy all day. I know it’s not healthy and my goal is always to stop, breathe, and smell the roses a few times a day. Maybe knowing that little 10 second pauses will actually help me learn and remember more things will help motivate me (and you😉) to be more present and calm during the day.
Well, that’s enough insight into my personal shortcomings and goals. I hope to see you at Unpopular Science’s next installment, but first I’m going to take a 10 second pause…