Your memory is like your health: it needs maintenance. So build a dam against fear and keep your field of interest wide. Because the better you feel about yourself, the faster your memory will work.
For a long time it was believed that our memory was somewhere in our hearts. An idea that left its mark in several languages. We may already “learn by heart”, and in English the expression is still “rote learning” and in French “learning by heart”. It wasn’t until the 20th century that we discovered that our memory is located in the brain and not in one place, but in several areas of the brain that communicate with each other. “When you memorize something or when you reproduce information previously stored in your brain, your entire nervous system is involved, thanks to the billions of connections that are constantly being made between your neurons,” explains author Stéphanie Bouvet, author of Memory Guide.
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For a long time it was believed that our memory was somewhere in our hearts. An idea that left its mark in several languages. We may already “learn by heart”, and in English the expression is still “rote learning” and in French “learning by heart”. It wasn’t until the 20th century that we discovered that our memory is located in the brain and not in one place, but in several areas of the brain that communicate with each other. “When you memorize something or when you reproduce information previously stored in your brain, your entire nervous system is involved, thanks to the billions of connections that are constantly being made between your neurons,” explains author Stéphanie Bouvet, author of Memory Guide. Your memory may not be in your heart, but emotions play a crucial role in remembering things. This is why intense experiences are engraved in your memory. Paradoxically, traumatic experiences sometimes lead to amnesia (traumatic amnesia). Preservation is divided into three main steps: encryption, storage and replication. During encoding, your brain receives information from your senses (sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing). Storage means that you store information in your memory, but only information that you use regularly is preserved. When reproducing or displaying, you extract information from your memory, automatically, under the influence of stimuli (smell, song …) or with the help of clues: ‘Don’t you remember? But yes, it snowed so hard that day…’ explains psychologist and specialist Memory Mikhail Devilier: “In order to memorize information well, you must, of course, first understand it. But you also have to pass it on and iterate. By repetition you can even remember things that don’t interest you.” “And that doesn’t change the fact that it works better if it interests you!” It’s also important to remember one thing well: look to the future. Because contrary to what is often believed, your memory doesn’t focus on the past. “If your brain thinks that information might be at hand one day, it will store it,” said Devilliers. “This is probably one reason memory becomes less efficient with age. Because the older you get, you usually have fewer plans for the future.” “Convincing yourself that something is important is not enough to remember. You also have to think about what meaning the information can still be useful.” So curiosity, enthusiasm, and openness are good for memory! “People with a good memory often have a wide range of interests,” says Michael Devilier. Learning the phone number by heart instead of storing it in your smartphone under a hotkey, for example, is a good idea. Because the more you occupy your mind, the better,” says Fabian Collette (Researcher and Neuropsychologist, University of Liege). “However, your brain is not a muscle. So you shouldn’t see it too mechanical: remembering a phone number is good, calling and chatting with the person in question about what you’ve done, what you’re planning, and about reality is better.” Michael Devilier notes that remembering isn’t a matter of will. The greater the chance of your brain storing it. Giving your mind the command ‘I’ll remember it’ isn’t enough. This is not an example of successful brain training.” Many today complain that their memory is fading. Even among fairly young people, this is a common complaint: they have the impression that their “hard drive” is a mess due to too much stress and permanent mental tension. Emphasizes Michael Devilliers, with That, your memory is actually unlimited.” Your brain is not a hard disk. Instead, you have to see it as a set of connections woven between different brain regions. Your memory is like the Internet: in theory, it’s a network without borders. So it’s not necessary to trim the amount of information you want to store in advance. Do you get the impression that your mind is sifted? Then your working memory – which is part of your short-term memory – is saturated. To-do lists, social media and household chores can clog it completely. It is up to you to clear the passage into your long-term memory, so that you can store the information for longer. If If you want to invest in your long-term memory, it’s important that you don’t constantly catch your breath. “With so much of a mental burden, your mental capacity begins to deteriorate,” the psychiatrist warns. “In reality, you are constantly putting out fires. You always have the impression that you are forgetting something somewhere. You no longer have a generic image, nor an overview. That’s why your brain really needs a little rest now and then, because memories are created in two motions: in the moment you’re experiencing things and in the moment of rest, for example while you’re sleeping.” That’s why you often remember important things when you’re in the bathroom or jogging. Another big enemy of your memory is your mood, especially when you are in thunder. “There is simply cognitive energy in anxiety or depression,” Fabian Colette explains. “In other words, if you use 40% of your cognitive resources for anxiety, it’s clear that affect your ability to remember things.” Together with her team, the researcher recently conducted a study on people at increased risk of developing a type of dementia later on, such as Alzheimer’s disease. “These are people who do objectively well, but still complain of memory problems. Well, our results showed that health education or a mindfulness course reduces anxiety in these people,” she explains. “And because anxiety is a risk factor for developing a neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer’s, these are promising results.” So today you can say that fighting anxiety or Stress or depression – for example by meditating – is an effective way to reduce your risk of developing a memory disorder.All this is more reason to step back now and then and focus fully on positive energy Read also: 10 tricks that really help your memory
