10 Things You Never Knew About Your Memory

Memory is something that we never think about, but use every single second of every day. It’s fascinating how much we use the activity and it’s important to know how it works. There are plenty of misconceptions about how we store and use memory. We can only store about seven things at one time in our short-term memory bank, and we can never retain all of our knowledge. One researcher estimates that we tend to forget 40% of what we learn in a day and 90% in just a month. Here are some other interesting facts about memory that you didn’t know about.

Deja Vu Does Exist

One of your five senses can trigger a memory from the past, creating a sense of something “already seen.” This can also happen when people claim they dreamed what’s actually happening. It’s probably not true, but they feel the same sense they experienced during the dream.

Studying Improves In Different Environments

Use the multiple resources around you, like a coffee shop, library, and community center, to study. Researchers say that different environments can help you retain and recall information easier.

Memory Can Fill Missing Information

Overlooked a misspelled word, or don’t notice the difference between 30 and 60 frames per second? That’s because your brain fills in that missing information. For example, memory just needs the first and last letter of a word in the proper place to quickly make it out.

Procrastination Actually Helps

It’s not a good habit to get into, but waiting to finish assignments and projects actually help. When you aren’t doing the task, your mind is thinking about them even went they aren’t the primary focus.

Memory Has A File System

Anything you learn gets separated in your brain in different categories without you even realizing it. Think of it as a big file cabinet that’s separated by senses and content, and the hippocampus of your brain is what brings it all together.

It Helps To Forget Things

Trying to memorize things is not the best way to retain information. In fact, researchers suggest that forgetting something will make it easier to remember in the future. For example, think of how embarrassing it is when you forget someone’s name and how you remember them because of it.

Memory Recall Based On Emotion

The stronger feelings you have toward something, the easier it will be to remember. This is why childhood situations that made you greatly enthusiastic or depressed still have lingering effects today.

Visual Information Easier To Retain

Wonder why textbooks generally have visual concepts on each page? It’s not just to break up the monotony of texts. People actually learn new things better when it’s represented visually.

Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

Repeating the same thing over and over actually isn’t a good way to remember things. This is why lessons always start off easy, then get harder as they progress. Making the brain retrieve information in different ways is what makes people remember them.

People Don’t Have “Photographic” Memory

This is confused with “eidetic” memory, which is maintaining the image of what you saw minutes after being exposed to it. No one can actually retain images in their brain for long periods of time, as the mind actually continues to edit it.