Reading Something Aloud Helps Store The Information

If you've ever found yourself reading something confusing aloud -- say, furniture-building instructions, or directions you need to memorize -- you're actually helping to better retain the info.

That's what a new study out of Ontario's University of Waterloo just proved.

Long story short, both speaking the information and hearing yourself say it essentially helps underline the information, almost like drawing over letters in a word twice to "bold" it.

Nearly 100 test subjects were asked to retain information in four ways: by reading it quietly, listening to someone else read it, reading aloud in real time, or listening to a recording of oneself reading it.

The authors found reading aloud in real time was the best way to retain the info.

Study co-author Colin MacLeod, a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at the university said in a release, "This study confirms that learning and memory benefit from active involvement. 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."