Incredible facts
Memory is the key to life. Without memories, we will not be able to build relationships with others, work and perform even the simplest tasks.
Did you know that, in theory, our brains can hold more information than 4,000 iPhones.
In addition, there is a world record for the largest number of random items a person can remember.
Read also: Test: What is your memory type?
We have collected some interesting facts about memory that will surprise you a lot.
Human memory facts
1. Our brain can store countless amounts of information
© Jéshoots/Pexels
Our brain can store up to 2.5 petabytes (or about a million gigabytes) of data. These conclusions were made by scientists from Northeastern University in the United States.
By comparison, if our brain worked like a digital TV recorder, it would hold 3 million hours of TV shows. You would have to watch TV continuously for over 300 years to use up all of your memory.
2. We begin to forget childhood memories as children
Do you remember when you took your first step or what your first day at kindergarten was like? Most of us probably don't remember this. But at exactly what age do our memories start to fade?
Psychologists at Emory University found that between the ages of 5 and 7, children remembered about 60 percent of their early life events, and by the age of 8-9, fewer than 40 percent of those events memories.
3. The better you sleep, the better your memories are kept
It's no secret that our brains work best when we've had a good night's sleep.
Israeli scientists conducted a study by teaching people certain finger movements (like playing the piano). Those who had a good night's sleep were better able to recall the new skill after 12 hours.
It appears that when we sleep, we move our memories to more efficient storage areas in our brain.
4. When we walk through the door, we forget
When we walk through a doorway, our brain perceives this as an “event boundary” that separates different episodes of activity. This was also demonstrated by an experiment. When subjects moved items between rooms and within the same room, people were 2 to 3 times more likely to forget what they needed to do after they walked through the doorway.
Read also: Walking through doors causes memory loss
It's interesting that the effect works even when you're just thinking about the door. When people were asked to remember something, pretending they were walking through a door, they did it much worse.
So if you want to remember something, try not to think about the door.
5. We don't remember sounds well
© George Marks/Photo Images
About 65 percent of the population are visuals, meaning they have to perceive information with their eyes in order to learn it. At the same time, we only remember one-fifth of what we hear. By adding visual data, it is possible to significantly improve the assimilation of information.
6. World memory record
Nishal Narayanam set a world record at age 10 by memorizing the maximum number of random items — 225 items in 12 minutes. A few years later, he set another record by memorizing 132 numbers in 1 minute.
7. The age at which we best recognize faces
It seems that our ability to match faces to names begins to deteriorate after age 30.
Scientists from Harvard University have found that the ability to recognize faces is best developed between the ages of 30 and 34, and after that it begins to gradually deteriorate. After age 70, we only recognize 75 percent of people we know.
8. There's an age when we're better at remembering names
The brain regions responsible for recognizing faces develop before the age of 30.
At the same time, parts of the brain that allow us to remember names and store other new information begin to fade after age 20. Fortunately, most people notice these deteriorations when they are well over 60.
9. A trick to remember: close your eyes
Want to remember better? Keep your eyes closed. During the experiment, published in the Journal of Legal and Criminal Psychology, people with their eyes closed answered 23 percent more questions about a movie they had recently seen.
By closing our eyes, we get rid of all distractions, allowing the brain to focus on recent memories.
10. Depression affects memory
Depression affects not only our well-being but also our memory. In depression, there is a smaller brain volume and cerebral vessels are affected.
In addition, a person with depression has severe episodic memory, that is, the memory of certain events.
11. Some types of lies are better remembered
© AlphaSpirit/Getty Images
Everyone lies, but we don't remember every lie very well. As it turns out, false descriptions — complex fictions of our imagination — are easier to remember than false denials when you deny what actually happened.
Therefore, you will have to try very hard to keep in mind lies about something that really did not happen.
12. Love at first sight is a fiction
Do you think you've experienced love at first sight? But in fact, they could be simple mind games.
The fact is that when we mentally go back to the time when we met our soul mate, we project our current feelings onto past memories. Our memory tends to edit events to suit the current situation.
13. Short-term memory is very short
It is believed that we are able to memorize 5 to 9 items and keep them in short-term memory for 20-30 seconds. These memories don't fade into long-term memory, and are eventually forgotten.
14. Meditation improves memory
Regular meditations improve blood flow to the brain, which leads to stronger blood vessel connections in the cerebral cortex and increases memory capacity.
College students who meditated 4 times a week for 45 minutes scored an average of 60 points more on oral exams in just two weeks.
Interesting facts about memory
15. We're full of false memories
© Fancycrave.com/Pexels
Have you ever been absolutely sure about something that happened and later found out that this never happened? This phenomenon is extremely common and is common to absolutely everyone, including those who write autobiographies.
Scientists from the University of California conducted an experiment on people with normal and excellent memory, using words to introduce false memories. For example, they said the words “pillow” and “blanket”, after which most test subjects thought they heard the word “sleep” clearly.
16. People with ultra-accurate autobiographical memory
Scientists still can't explain the exceptional autobiographical memory that some people have.
It is known that a small percentage of people remember almost everything that happens to them.
A person with hyperthymesia, for example, might say they ate breakfast on March 9, 1997. In fact, perfect memory can also be a punishment, and people with ultra-accurate memory often suffer from depression and anxiety because they can't just forget things.
17. Left-handed people have better memories
Only 10 percent of the world's population is left-handed, and this small proportion of people are much better at remembering information than right-handed people.
Scientists have found that left-handed people and their relatives have a larger corpus callosum, which connects the cerebral hemispheres and makes memories clearer.
Also read: 6 things that can kill your memory
18. Witnesses who rely on memory are often shockingly inaccurate
Since DNA testing was introduced in the 1990s, 73 per cent of 239 convictions that were originally based on eyewitness accounts have been overturned.
Almost a third of the convicted verdicts were based on the testimony of two or more witnesses who were wrong. This is mainly due to the fact that our brains tend to create false memories that we sometimes can't distinguish from the truth.
19. The legendary memory of Mozart
In the mid-17th century, Italian composer Gregorio Allegri composed “Miserere”, which was performed in the Sistine Chapel but was not allowed to be copied.
When 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited the Vatican in 1770 and heard it only once, he was able to record it in its entirety from memory. A few months later, Pope Clement XIV invited young Mozart to Rome and awarded him the Order of Chivalry of the Golden Spur.
20. Good memories last longer than bad ones
In the 1930s, psychologists asked different people to recall different events in their lives, calling the memories pleasant or unpleasant. A few weeks later, they asked the subjects again (without warning) to recall the same events.
Psychologists found that 60 percent of bad memories were forgotten compared to only 42 percent of pleasant memories.
21. TV is bad for the brain and memory
© Elnur
Do you love watching TV shows? This habit is harmful to brain cells. A study published in the journal Brain and Cognition found that every hour a person spends watching TV between the ages of 40 and 59 increases the risk the development of Alzheimer's disease by 1.3 percent.
22. Surgical removal of half of the brain can take place with minimal consequences
In very rare circumstances, most often associated with seizure disorders, doctors prescribe a hemispherectomy — the removal of one hemisphere of the brain.
Such surgery usually does not cause any major changes in the brain, except for a few minor changes. Memory, sense of humor and personality traits are restored, and cognitive abilities may change slightly.
23. A short nap during the day helps you retain new information
If you have been studying for the exam for a long time and want to remember a large amount of information, experts recommend a short afternoon nap. German scientists asked a group of test subjects to memorize a set of cards and found that those who took a break and slept for 40 minutes memorized 85 percent of the cards, while the group that I was awake, I only remembered 60 percent.
24. Exercise improves the ability to remember new information
When we train, we not only improve our physical fitness, but also our mental abilities. Physical activity has a positive effect on the functioning of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is the memory center.
25. Sit upright to remember better
It was not for nothing that teachers told us not to slouch. This is not only bad for the back, but also affects memory.
Scientists at the University of San Francisco have found that sitting or standing upright makes it much easier for us to remember, as this situation improves blood and oxygen circulation by 40 percent.
26. The sense of smell is most strongly linked to memories
© Živa Trajbarič/Pexels
Have you smelled your favorite cake and memories immediately carry you back to your grandmother's house? Do you know why smells have such a powerful effect on memory?
The fact is that the aromas we smell are processed through the olfactory bulb, which is closely connected to the hippocampus, the memory center of our brain. It is because of this close connection that smell brings us vivid memories, which in turn come back as soon as we smell a certain smell again.
27. Memory loss can be a symptom of thyroid problems
Although the thyroid gland does not play a large role in the brain, memory loss may be one of the symptoms we notice when the thyroid gland is not doing well.
People with increased or decreased thyroid function, which is quite common among women, have difficulty remembering and concentrating.
28. Your memory works better outdoors
When you're outdoors, even when it's cold outside, your memory and attention improve. Even one hour spent outdoors improves memory and attention span by 20 percent.
Being in nature has the same effect as meditation, another activity that improves memory. If there is no way to go outside, scientists advise at least looking at nature photos.
29. To learn more easily, use an unusual font
Most of the information we read is written in pretty much the same font. So when you see an unusual typeface, it stands out in our memory. Psychologists from Princeton University found that those students who read textbooks written in an unusual font performed better on exams than others.
30. Stephen King hardly remembers writing one novel
In the 80s, famous writer Stephen King struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. In his memoirs, he said that he doesn't remember much about this period, including writing an entire novel.
“There's one novel, Kujo, that I can hardly remember writing,” King said. “I don't say this with pride or shame, only with a vague sense of regret and loss. I love this book. I'd like to remember how much I loved the good parts I wrote.”
31. When you take a photo, your memories of it get worse
© Jéshoots/Pexels
Ironically, when we photograph important moments, our memories of them get worse. For example, a study published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition found that those who did not take a picture of the painting, they remembered it better than those who photographed and analyzed the work for no more than 15 seconds.
The fact is that when we take photos, our brain focuses on the actual process of photography, not the subject we are photographing.
32. You'd better remember what you say out loud
If you need to memorize a report or facts, try to read important information out loud. Scientists have found that this action helps to store words in long-term memory.