Do you remember what you did for your sixteenth birthday? What was the name of your first pet? How well can you recall the lyrics of the song 'Friday' by Rebecca Black? Or how about something a little more difficult: what day of the week was New Years Eve in 2001? These examples show us that while our memories can often work surprisingly well for some tasks, such as recalling song lyrics, it can be challenging to remember other facts.
Our memories overall are very accurate. Everyday you remember which toothbrush is yours, how to get to your classes, and which cupboard your mac&cheese is in. There are also times when your memory fails you. Try to remember events from before the age of two, such as your first steps or first words. The mystery of why we cannot recall our earliest years is called infantile amnesia. Many scientists believe that this can be attributed to the hippocampus, which does not fully develop until after the age of two or three.
It is not only at our youngest age that our memory fails us, but also at our oldest age. Dementia and other memory-deteriorating diseases are growing more prevalent in the elderly every day. Recent studies have shown that people who include high levels of mental activities in their lives are likely to have stronger memory capabilities at older ages (Sumowski, 2007). This study was done on those with MS, but has been shown to hold true for Alzheimers patients as well. So study well and continue to exercise your brain as you age, so that you can tell your great grandchildren about your college days.
Fantastic Post. Great job digesting the chapter and giving us your views.
Memory loss can be a scary thing to think about. Memories are some of our most valuable and private possessions that have been with us our entire lives. Hopefully sometime in the near future the secret to curing Alzheimer's and Dementia will be discovered so that people don't have to part with these dear possessions.
Great post! I find it interesting how we remember some simple things from our past, but memory of important dates such as birthdays or events like 9/11 are often blurry. Another thing I find interesting about memory in terms of your last couple sentences is about my my grandma. Before she died, she couldn't remember my sister's name, but my dad asked her about an significant event about 40-50 years ago and she remembered it vividly! Crazy how memory works (and how it doesn't).
I agree with one of the previous commenters. Memory loss really is a scaring thing. There are so many precious memories that I hold near and dear to my heart and it would be absolutely devastating if I lost any of those memories. I mean granted, there are also a lot of memories that I wouldn't mind forgetting, but those memories helped to shape me into the person I am today.
Great post. It's interesting to think also of the little details some people remember that most of us might skim over, and why it is that we remember certain things we do. I know there are times when I remember an excessive amount of detail.
I enjoyed your post. It is so fascinating to me how peoples memories work and why we remember the things we do. I have memories of some of the most insignificant things and forget memories that would probably be more useful to me.