By examining the relationships of social hierarchy with memory abilities in mice, we found that dominant mice showed better performance in recognition and spatial working memory, along with augmented LTP and higher expressions of memory-related genes in the hippocampus. The relationship between social hierarchy and memory was further strengthen by the dominant status of mice treated with memory-improving drug. To explore this phenomenon across species, we combined multiple approaches to demonstrate that children with higher social status also have better memory ability. The data further suggested that better memory may assist children in acquiring social strategies and recognizing social dominance cues. We believe this is the first report to present an association between social hierarchy and memory in two species in parallel, especially in humans. While mouse model indicated the possible molecular and neural mechanisms underlying the association, children study revealed the functional importance of memory in acquiring and maintaining dominance status. By making a breakthrough in the use of different species to answer specific questions and reveal information that could not be approached solely by one species, our study not only presented a remarkable similarity between children and mice but also provided new insight into the research of social interaction as well as of learning and memory in the fields of biology, psychology, and education.