Our memory helps us become who we really are. From fond memories of childhood to frantic attempts to remember where the keys lie... Memory plays a vital role in every aspect of our lives. It gives us a sense of self and constitutes our life experience. It's easy to think of memories as a cupboard in our head where we can store and store information until we need it. In fact, it is a surprisingly complex process that involves numerous areas of the brain. Memories can be vivid and long lasting, or they can be easily changed and erased.
Here is a selection of interesting facts about our memory.

1. The hippocampus plays an important role in memory

The hippocampus is a horseshoe-shaped region of the brain that plays an important role in moving information from short-term memory to long-term memory. It is part of the limbic system associated with emotions and long-term memory. The hippocampus is involved in complex processes such as the formation, organization, and storage of memories.
Because both sides of the brain are symmetrical, the hippocampus can be found in both hemispheres. If the hippocampus of one of them is damaged or destroyed, the memory will function almost unchanged as long as the other hemisphere is not damaged.
Damage to the hippocampus in both hemispheres can interfere with the ability to form new memories, a phenomenon called anterograde amnesia.
As we age, the functioning of the hippocampus may deteriorate. By the time a person reaches 80, they have lost up to 20% of the nerve connections in the hippocampus. Although not all older people who experience decreased performance on memory tests experience this phenomenon.

2. Most of the information in short-term memory is forgotten quickly.

The total capacity of short-term memory is considered quite limited. Experts believe that we can hold about seven items of information in short-term memory for about 20-30 seconds. This ability can be improved somewhat by using mnemonic techniques and grouping information.
In a famous article published in 1956, psychologist George Miller suggested that the capacity of short-term memory is between five and nine items. Today, many memory experts believe that the true capacity potential of short-term memory is probably closer to four elements.

3. Tests actually help us remember better.

It may seem that learning and repeating information is guaranteed to help us remember it, but researchers have found that, in fact, one of the best ways to remember something is to take a test.
In one of the experiments, it was found that students who were tested remember material better, even the one that was not included in the test. Students who had more time to study the material, but did not have a test, learned the material significantly worse.

4. You can improve your memory yourself

Do you find yourself constantly forgetting or losing things that you use every day? Have you ever walked into a room realizing that you can't remember why you went in there in the first place? You might think that you are simply doomed to endure these daily annoyances, but researchers have found that you can improve your memory.
In 2005, a study was published in the journal Monitor on Psychology that identified a number of useful strategies for combating memory decline. These methods include:

Using technology to track information. Mobile devices and online calendars with reminders help people keep track of events, to-dos and important dates.
Formation of a "mental picture". Systematically remembering things you often forget (such as where you left your car keys) can help you remember them better. The next time you put your keys somewhere, take a moment and try to mentally note where you left them, as well as remember other objects that lie next to them. If you think to yourself, "I left my keys on the table next to my wallet," you'll probably find it easier to remember later.
Use of mnemonic techniques. Repetition of information, the use of symbols, and other memorization strategies are perhaps the best ways to overcome minor memory problems. By learning how to use these strategies effectively, you can bypass faulty memory areas and train your brain to function in new ways.
5. There are four main reasons why we forget.

In order to combat forgetfulness, it is important to understand some of the main reasons why do we forget. Elizabeth Loftus, one of the world's most famous experts on human memory, identified four main reasons why forgetting occurs. One of the most common explanations is a simple inability to retrieve information from memory. This often happens when the memory is rarely accessed, leading to its destruction over a long period of time.
Another common cause of forgetting is thought to be interference, which occurs when certain memories compete with other memories. For example, imagine the start of a new school year and a woman who is a teacher in an elementary school. She spends some time memorizing the names of the students, but over the course of the year she constantly names one girl incorrectly. Why? Because this girl's older sister was in her class last year, and because of the memories of her older sister, it is now so difficult for her to remember the name of her new student.
Other causes of forgetting include an inability to remember information at all, or even intentional attempts to forget things associated with a disturbing or traumatic event.

6 Movie Descriptions Of Amnesia Are Usually Wrong

Amnesia is a well-known device in the cinema, but the way it is portrayed is significantly at odds with reality. For example, do we often see a character lose their memory due to a blow to the head, and then have their memories magically restored after a second blow to the skull?
There are two different types of amnesia:

Anterograde amnesia, which includes the loss of the ability to form new memories.
Retrograde amnesia, in which the ability to retrieve past memories is lost, although the ability to create new memories may remain intact.
Most movies portray retrograde amnesia, when in fact anterograde amnesia is much more common. The most famous case of anterograde amnesia was described in 1953: the patient underwent brain surgery, the purpose of which was to stop seizures caused by severe epilepsy. The operation included the removal of both hippocampi, areas of the brain strongly associated with memory. As a result, the patient was no longer able to form any new long-term memories.
Popular films and television programs depict such memory loss as fairly common, but true cases of complete loss of memories of one's past and one's identity are actually quite rare.
The most common causes of amnesia are:

Injury. Physical trauma, such as in a car accident, can cause the victim to lose specific memories of the accident itself. Emotional trauma, such as in victims of childhood sexual abuse, can lead to loss of memories of specific situations.
Admission of narcotic substances. Some medications can be used to create temporary amnesia, especially during medical procedures. After the drugs leave the body, the individual's memory begins to function normally again.
Movies that use amnesia

RoboCop (1987);
Concerning Henry (1991);
English Patient (1996);
Remember (2001);
The Bourne Identification (2002);
50 First Dates (2004);
Finding Nemo (2003).
The authors of the science blog Neurophilosophy, however, believe that the films "Remember" and "Finding Nemo" depict amnesia quite accurately.

7. Smell can be a powerful trigger

Have you noticed that a particular fragrance can trigger a rush of vivid memories? The smell of cookies may remind you of the time spent at your grandmother's house when you were a small child. The smell of a particular perfume can remind you of a person with whom your romantic relationship ended sadly.
Why does smell act as such a powerful trigger?
First, the olfactory nerve is very close to the amygdala, an area of ​​the brain associated with emotional experience as well as emotional memory. In addition, the olfactory nerve is very close to the hippocampus, which is also associated with memory, which we have already written about in this article.
By itself, the ability to smell is, in fact, strongly associated with memory. Research has shown that when the area of ​​the brain associated with memory is damaged, the ability to identify odors is also impaired. In order to identify a fragrance, you must remember when you smelled it before, and then connect visual memories that date back to that time. According to some studies, learning information in the presence of smell increases the vividness and intensity of memories. To remember the information obtained in this way when you smell the same smell again.

8. Each time a memory is formed, new connections are created in the brain.

Researchers have long believed that changes in brain neurons are associated with the formation of memories. Today, most experts believe that the creation of memories is associated with strengthening existing connections between neurons or increasing the number of new ones.
Connections between nerve cells, known as synapses, are involved in the transmission of information in the form of nerve impulses from one neuron to another. The human brain has trillions of synapses that form a complex and flexible network that allows us to sense ourselves, control ourselves, and think. It is these changes in areas of the brain such as the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus that are associated with the learning and memorization of new information.
Maintaining a healthy brain and synapses is critical to keeping memory functioning properly in general. Synapse damage due to disease or neurotoxin intake is fraught with cognitive problems, memory loss, mood swings, and other changes in brain function.
So what can be done to strengthen synapses?

Avoid stress. Research has shown that prolonged exposure to stress in the human body can actually interfere with the functioning of neurotransmitters. Other studies have shown