Unilateral hand clenching increases neuronal activity in the frontal lobe of the contralateral hemisphere. Such hand clenching is also associated with increased experiencing of a given hemisphere’s ‘mode of processing’…….or so the authors of a recent report state!

Wonderful! What’s that in English?

This study out of Montclair State University suggests that by clenching our right fists before attempting to memorize a list may help with recalling it later.

Five right-handed groups (total of 50 participants) were given 36 words to commit to memory.

One group clenched their right fists for 90 seconds before memorizing, then 90 seconds with their left before writing down as many words as they could remember.

Another group did the same but with the opposite fists before remembering and recalling.

Two other groups did the remembering and recalling by clenching the same fist each time, and lastly a control group that didn’t clench their fists at all.

The results showed that the group that clenched their right fists before memorizing, and then their left before recalling, performed better than all the other groups. (I assume that if the study were conducted with left handed people the same results would arise but with clenching the left fist first then the right before recalling?)

They suggest that by temporarily changing the way our brain functions, while memorizing, somehow affects the way we store and retrieve information, and that the clenching of the fists activates specific regions of the brain associated with memory….or as they put it…

Unilateral hand clenching increases neuronal activity in the frontal lobe of the contralateral hemisphere. Such hand clenching is also associated with increased experiencing of a given hemisphere’s ‘mode of processing’…..yes, that’s what I thought!

Funny, unique and interactive in his entertaining conference keynotes and workshops, Bob Gray reveals the untapped potential in each of us. His empowering systems and their many applications in the business world give participants immediate ‘walk away’ value. Book Bob Gray today as your next conference keynote speaker.