Consider what might happen if you’ve ever arrived office only to realize you have forgot your laptop at home. 

How many times you left your mobile or keys at home while leaving outdoor? Or how many times you come home just to realize that you have forget purchased grocery at the store? 

Can’t you think your brain is atrophying?

We use our memories during every moment of our lives. We need to remember words to speak, ideas to create and experiences to travel. In fact, we depend on our memories for many things, including the ability to learn, organize activities and plan ahead for the future.

In short, memories are what allow us to function at a basic level.

Understanding the concept of memory

It’s long been known that the human brain collects, stores and recalls information that we need for various tasks. It plays a more human role by helping us recognize and remember important people and special occasions. 

Memory is the process of storing experiences in the brain and recalling them later. 

According to research findings, memories are formed as a result of connections between neurons in the brain.

New connections are formed each time a new activity is learned. The more a person participates in a particular activity, the stronger the synapses and associated memories tied to the activity become.

Simply put, the more often you encounter something, the more easily you remember it next time around. 

Our memories are stored in different parts of the brain, but they are all associated with emotions. For example, when you look at old school photograph, you might recall of your time spent with friends and start to experience mixed feelings of happiness and sadness remembering golden days spent with them.

Do you know the amazing flexibility and capacity of the brain’s nerve cells as well as the interaction of brain chemicals contribute to the science of memory.

Making memories is a biological process. Along with that, experiences and learning change the connections in our brain and create memories.

It’s all about connections

When we learn something, even as simple as someone’s name, we form connections between neurons in the brain. These connections create new circuits between nerve cells. The sheer number of possible connections gives the brain unbelievable flexibility.

These connections get stronger or weaker depending on how often we’re exposed to that situation. The more we’re exposed to an activity the stronger the connection. On the contrary, lesser the exposure, the weaker the connection. This also explain why it’s easy to remember the names of friends  and hard to recall the name of strangers after the first introduction.

Scientist believe that there are two levels of memory. One level is short-term memory, or working memory. The other level is long-term memory, or permanent memory. Short-term memory is a way to store information temporarily. It lasts about 15 to 30 seconds. For instance, when you introduced to new person, your mind remember his/her name during introduction.

Long-term memory is the storage of information for longer periods. It can last days, months, years, or a lifetime. For instance, if you keep meeting newly introduced person for several times, his/her name will move from short-term to long-term memory.

We can pull out information stored in memory through either recall or recognition. Recall means that we can remember something learned earlier. Recognition is the ability to identify something that has been seen or experienced before. Recognition is easier than recall. It may be easy to recognize a person’s face, but it is more difficult to recall the person’s name.

Understanding memory formation is essential for optimizing our learning abilities and improving memory retention. Fortunately, science gives us hope with ways to sharpen this essential neurological tool. Memory can be improved at any stage through various techniques such as regular mental stimulation, engaging in memory exercises and adopting healthy lifestyle.

Disclaimer

Mediclin Brain Health’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.