Memory need not fade if people keep their minds in shape.
Memory: Is it a Mineral or a Vegetable?
People often compare their memory capacity to that of a computer. They say their memory banks are overloaded; their mental hard drives have crashed. In fact, human brains are much more efficient than any computer. A computer uses all of its memory to accomplish only a small fraction of human capabilities. A computer can’t write a poem, improvise the words to a song, or tell a good joke. According to a Dr. Caroline Weiss in a study by Pennsylvania State University, humans use only 10% of their brain capacity to reason, draw inferences, and create new knowledge out of old. A computer uses 100% of its memory to perform its limited capabilities.
Memory resources aren’t limited to genetic programming either. Dr. Gould, a neurologist at Princeton University, found that the female hormone, estrogen, also promotes the creation of new brain cells. A study published by the National Academy of Sciences suggested that physical exercise also improves memory. Exercise may actually stimulate the growth of new brain cells; in mice, anyway.
What is Memory?:
People remember the things they like to do. Plans and processes that have personal meaning are easily and permanently entrenched in memory. Circus music, the scent of certain flowers or perfume evokes powerful and persistent memories. Trauma can also ensure that minute details are easily remembered. Memory works by association and by building on prior knowledge. Essayist, Samuel Johnson, said that, “The true art of memory is the art of attention.”
Memories and Old Age
Since memory is based on the ability to form associations, knowledge and experience actually help to remember new pieces of information. A mind is more like a messy desk than a computer. Every experience is in various parts of the brain, but if it’s not organized it’s hard to get it out. With age, the memory pile on the cerebral desk grows.
It is possible to improve mentally just as people improve physically. In fact, it is easier to improve memories than it is to learn to swing a golf club or to swim, because it requires no natural aptitude. Everyone can become more mentally alert by using:
Mnemonic Tricks
Mnemonic or memory training can be simple or complex. Greek and Roman orators delivered lengthy speeches using memory-training techniques. They would visualize each part of their speech as a room in their home. Then they formed associations with their thoughts and the furniture, shape and tapestries of a particular area. As they proceeded with their speech, they worked their way through their house. The expression, “in the first place,” comes from this Roman mnemonic trick.
To improve recall: People remember best what they see, hear, do, and tell about as they are doing it. That is why the best educational programs require participants to actually write a play, build a birdhouse, use a word processor. That is why interactive software is considered superior to “drill and kill” software in educational circles. Memory is interactive: it’s important to take notes, write messages, and keep lists.
