If you need to commit something to memory, a study materials, a speech, even your shopping list. Type out the information in an unusual font, reading a unique font forces you to concentrate, sending information deeper into the brain’s memory processing areas so you retain significantly more.

Think you can tell someone is lying if they have shifty eyes? Not so! British researchers asked people to lie about important things and discovered that the true telltale sign was not where people looked but whether they paused at random points while they were speaking and made excessive hand gestures.

While chatting with a potential new friend at a party, pay attention at what the person says about other partygoers. A Study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who judge others favorably tended to be kinder and more stable than those who fixated on negative qualities____character assessments that held up a year later. People’s judgments subconsciously act as mirrors, reflecting back traits they possess.

If you need to concentrate but your mind keeps wandering; open your hands wide and let the corresponding fingertips on each hand touch for two minutes. Yoga experts say this gesture is calming and centering, helping to clear away mental clutter so you can focus on the task and hand.