We’ve all had this experience: we can’t remember a phone number or name, even as we can recount what our birthday party was like when we were five years old. Long term memories are fine, but if you can’t remember the little details necessary to get you through the day, it’s easy to get frustrated and depressed. And while most brain training exercises have not proven effective in sharpening short term memory, new research out from Johns Hopkins may change the game. Publishing in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, researchers recently put two different memory training workouts to the test. While most commercially available brain games hold little actual benefit, this new research did identify a strategy that actually seems to improve your “working memory.” Take a look, and listen, to this NPR report about the research Here. And for a more general understanding of how the brain makes memories, and what happens when you age, watch this brief TED video Here.