1. A method for reading out a non-volatile memory element having at least two stable states 0 and 1, comprising at least one resistive memory cell, which encodes the two states 0 and 1 into a state HRS having higher electrical resistance and a state LRS having lower electrical resistance, the memory element having differing capacitances C 0,1 in the two states 0 and 1 and this difference being used to determine which state is present, wherein a memory element is selected in which a fixed capacitance that is independent of the state of the memory cell is connected in series with the memory cell.