I often wonder if my brain can get “too full.” Not permanently — no, even I am not narcissistic enough to believe I could ever know that much — but temporarily. I worry that all of the little bits of information coming at me (and all of us) all the time might have some larger affect on my ability to remember more valuable things. Are Facebook statuses and Tweets and pop-up ads cluttering up precious space that I need for financial articles and interviews?
Wired had a great piece this afternoon answering this very question, and leading me to ask some more of my own.
It turns out that yes, you can clutter yourself up too much sometimes, but it’s unlikely for your brain to ever reach its max. Some people even have issues forgetting, which can be really problematic for various reasons. Take a look at the piece – there are some links to research and some really interesting points about how memory works and about the true difference between short- and long-term memory.
This piece also left me wondering about some things about my own brain. I personally have a lot of trouble with long-term memory. I don’t remember much from more than a few years ago. I remember bits and pieces — scenes, smells, places, people — but I can almost never recall full events. Maybe there’s a particular name for this, I’m not sure. And maybe no one can truly remember much more than me — there’s a lot of evidence that many of our memories are basically filler (see links in above-linked piece). But it’s always bothered me that while I know intellectually that they happened, I can’t actually remember a lot of my “firsts” or happenings that other people in my life deem important. Sometimes this is OK, like when my fiancé remembers a fight from five years ago that I thankfully do not, but sometimes it’s a little sad. No, I don’t remember going on that trip with my family, or what it felt like the first time I rode a bike, or what I got for my 17th birthday.
I know that people can sometimes “block things out” after a traumatic experience, but nothing in four years of therapy has suggested that I had such an experience. I did, however, grow up with a lot of anxiety. (Outing myself here – and not for the first time on this blog – that’s why I’m in therapy!) The more I read about how memory works, the more I wonder if that has something to do with my limited recall ability. Maybe something to do with “working” memory?
From the Wired piece:
Juggling more than just a few pieces of information in your head at once is really hard. Throw one item too many into the mix and you’ve forgotten the name of the person you were just introduced to, or lost the idea you had before you got that phone call.
If that’s true, and if working memory is the foundation of long-term memory (my reading suggests that this may be true?) it seems like it wouldn’t be a far stretch to suggest that a child or teenager who is constantly thinking or worrying about something else in the back of her mind might have a tough time building long-term memories. I’m looking forward to reading more about it; let me know if you have suggestions!
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I don’t have any great insights, but I do know that in my experience when I fill my day with the stimulation of social media, it becomes necessary to de-brief to maintain my working memory. I like to take full “Social Media Sabbaths” for 24-hours once/week to recharge my batteries.
That’s a great idea, and I am actually in the midst of a bit of a social media sabbatical. Facebook in particular tends to take up a lot of bandwidth in my brain!
I’ve often wondered the same thing, myself! Great post :)
I think I know how this feels. I used to have the memory that never died. I’d remember everything and every detail. Then I got anxiety 8 years ago and now I’ll remember every single speck of information about something that worries me, but the truly important stuff just isn’t in there anymore. I can remember something I said to someone 6 years ago, and remember where I was, what happened, how upset I was, the freakin weather! But do I remember the article I read for university last week? Not a word. I can barely remember if I’ve seen certain movies! Definitely an interesting read! Such a complex topic too. Appreciated your thoughts on this and it really got me thinking :)
Thanks for your comment! I know what you mean – I have recently been trying to remember some things from my teenage years and instead of coming up with nice memories, I keep remembering details (are they real details or fill-ins? who knows?) of embarrassing moments. Those are of course the ones that seem to stick…sigh. I will report back when I learn more!
Reblogged this on xdayschocolate.
I’ve certainly thought questions along the lines of that, mostly during college psychology courses and late, late at night when I should have been sleeping, and it’s one of those questions where yes, your brain is being affected by something, in this case clutter/pop-up ads/Tweets/etc., but then again, your brain is being affected by *everything*. (Holy run-on sentence, sorry!) I remember hearing something, years ago, about how people have worse short-term memory now, and some people think it is connected to things like Google, where people know they can type in anything they want and get the information they want, henceforth they don’t bother making an effort to remember things because they don’t need to. I don’t know if it’s true, but it makes sense.
On the subject of how you remember long-term events, I think everyone is different. People say I have a very good memory, but I never remember full events either; I just remember vague details (colours, who was there, etc.) and mostly how I felt at the time. I think recalling your memories often helps you retain them, and possibly it might be because you begin to remember yourself remembering the event and it stays fresher in your mind.
Hi, thanks so much for your comment! To your first point – I have definitely wondered about the impact of the fact that we can simply pull out our phones and look anything up any time and how that impacts what we bother to remember. How much do we really control it? It’s really fascinating and it will be interesting to see how it affects future generations too…
As for your second point, I have actually noticed that happening. I have been actively trying to recall more things and it seems to be opening the floodgates a bit. But the thing about “remembering yourself remembering” is that the memories sort of disintegrate. This is something that has been studied – it’s a big reason eyewitnesses are arguably not that great at helping solve crimes. Still, it’s nice to feel like I am starting to remember some things. I’m hoping to write about this more. Stay tuned!
Yes, unfortunately memories totally disintegrate, and I take the stance that eyewitnesses are generally unreliable. I can be a sometimes obsessively honest person and for years now I’ve found it very fascinating to watch how people recall events; I’ve never been the “story teller” in my groups but I was often present for the event the story is about. And don’t we all know that person who tells the same story yet each time the story gets a little bit juicier? I am very concerned about writing objectively when I’m in a professional atmosphere and, goodness, it can be difficult and usually contains very little quotes.
When it comes to my own memories and history, I have to accept what it is. I focus mostly on how the memory made me feel at the time when it happened because other things seem to get distorted more easily (how people worded things, the order of events, etc.). I can only imagine how crazy overwhelming it would be if we remembered everything with absolute clarity; we need our mind to sort through what’s relevant and what’s not. In some ways, the way we react or focus on certain things affects how we remember it and thus gives us the ability to shape history, even after it happened, which is both cool and terrifying.
This is amazing…I wish to be like you one day. I want to blog about my life just like you! :) Thank you so much for giving me this boost of confidence and energy! I’ll blog my butt off if I have to! Good luck with your blog and thank you so much again! ^_^
Story. Of. My. Life. I feel this way a lot!! I think it is crazy how I can remember random things like song lyrics or how to get somewhere I’ve only been once, but I struggle to remember things I learned in class last semester! I notice when I’ve got a lot going on, not only is my anxiety worse, but my memory is too. I tend to waste a lot of brain power worrying and trying to plan, rather than using it to be present. Something I should work on! Thanks! :)
I’m working on it too, right there with you!
Hey, I am currently researching on Memory for my my studies. I believe that Anne Whitehead’s book, “Memory” and Sigmund Freud’s concepts will help you get some answers to your doubts on remembering certain events.
Freud looks at the past as a groundwork on which the present and the future relies. The past enters the present as an intrusive memory or a repetition which upsets the linearity of an individual’s growth and complicating the temporality. Freud’s idea of remembering is seen as an attempt to link the missing parts in a chain of events rather than trying to restore a lost memory. The dormant past resurfaces when the subject on impact of a violent incident is forced to retrospect on his/her life through writing. A person thinks differently about the past and the present depending on alteration and remembering of experiences by the conscious mind.
Whitehead looks at Marc Auge’s description of the relation between forgetting and remembering. Auge states that oblivion enables memories to be shaped and defined along with providing relief. He states that forgetting is important in order to form memories. So, Auge states that memories and forgetting are simultaneously needed to enable life. Auge also states that survivors of the concentration camps remember the past as it were the present and that they don’t need to be reminded to remember. Auge and Delbo look at the delicate balance between surviving and enduring the memory itself. Whitehead studies the act of remembering as shaped by the surrounding society and culture as well as habit memory.
There are more ideas and notions by theorists.
Bottom line is, what you are experiencing is common because I also feel the same way everyday. I find it hard to remember what I had for breakfast even though I can quickly remember a book’s name or author that I read years ago.
Thanks so much for your comment! This is all very interesting – I definitely plan to do more research myself. I actually had an interesting experience yesterday – I watched a movie I hadn’t seen since I was a kid, and suddenly I was remembering other small things – things I ate, places I went, little incidents that happened around the same time. So it’s all still there, I guess, but had to be triggered by something in the present. It’s wild.
Yes it is! Read Anne whitehead’s book and I think you will be surprised to see that most of the things we experience have been researched. Well, I was! I call personally call it Glitches!