2024-03-11 16:54:00
Do you tend to forget where you put your keys? Can’t remember someone’s name at dinner? Do you have to write everything you have to do on post-its to remember? On a daily basis, forgetting certain things can be annoying, but it is a completely natural phenomenon. So, when should you be concerned?
« To remember something, the brain must learn it (encoding), keep it safe (storage), and be able to retrieve it when needed (retrieval). If one of these stages is disrupted, the memory may be lost, or forgotten. », informs Alexander Easton, professor of Psychology at the University of Durham, in The Conversation.
Attention
What allows the brain to encode events as memories is attention. So, if you lack attention when you are introduced to new people at a dinner, you will not remember their first names. “ This is a memory lapse – a forgetfulness – which is completely normal and very common. », assures the psychologist.
Habits and conventions help avoid this problem. For example, always storing your keys in the same place will help you avoid forgetting where you left them. “ Repetition is also important for anchoring memories, which tend to disappear if not re-engaged. The more we repeat, rehash or recount memories, the longer we remember them ».
Most of our memories fade within a day or two if they are not re-engaged. On the other hand, voluntary repetitions which make it possible to better remember one thing, sometimes cause the forgetting of another: “ We can thus encode the place where the car is parked while going shopping and then forget it, as we are so busy repeating other things – the shopping list not to forget, for example ».
Old age
With age, memory problems tend to become more pronounced, but this does not necessarily mean that there is a problem. Indeed, the more time passes, the more things we have to remember. Our experiences from the past sometimes share many points in common and it is therefore difficult to distinguish different memories: “ For example, if you only went on a beach vacation to Spain once, chances are you remember it with great clarity,” explains Alexander Easton. “ On the other hand, if you have spent many holidays in Spain, in different cities and at different times, it will be more difficult for you to remember whether an event occurred during your first holiday in Barcelona or during a subsequent trip. ».
In any case, forgetting is common and becomes more and more so with age: “ Forgetting names or dates, as Joe Biden did, does not necessarily harm decision-making. Older people may have extensive knowledge and good intuition, which can help compensate for such memory lapses ».
But of course, oversights can hide more serious problems that require consultation with a doctor. Asking the same questions over and over, forgetting your way in familiar places, or not remembering how to use a fork must worry you. “ Ultimately, memory lapses aren’t necessarily something to worry about – it’s worth worrying if they become extreme », concludes the professor.
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