We have 100 billion neurons and over 100 trillion synaptic connections in our brains. So why do we forget stuff?  Because it’s not important to us.  Yes, it’s that simple.  I can still remember my grandmother’s phone number from 1970 (WHitney 5-6078) but couldn’t find my car keys yesterday.

 Granted, the processing speed of our neurons slows down with age.  So, it takes us a bit longer than 20-somethings to find those keys. But scientists say that forgetting where you put your keys isn’t a memory problem.  It’s an attention problem.  Our brains are hardwired to remember events from the past and make memories in the present.  However, we are NOT hardwired for memorizing into the future.  So, if you need to turn off the stove in 20 minutes, you’d better set a timer. 

How we make a memory is fascinating.   Let’s say you had a birthday party yesterday.  Your pals came and played “It’s Your Birthday,” by The Beatles.  You ate cherry pie and received a pine-scented candle. Your memory will contain all of those sensory elements.  10 years from now, hearing that song, eating cherry pie or just smelling pine can trigger the memory of that birthday.

After the Challenger explosion, people were given a questionnaire and asked to write down what they remembered. Two years later, they were given the questionnaire again.  Almost no one remembered the explosion in the same way.  Why?  Because every time we relive an event, we edit it just a bit.  Then, the edited version lays itself over the original memory.  Over time, that edited version results in an entirely new memory!  This is why two people can experience the same thing and have completely different memories of it.

Our memory is ‘sketchy’ at best. That is why so many court cases that were decided by eyewitness testimonies are now being overturned.  However, you can vastly improve your memory with exercise.  Exercise not only improves your mood in the moment but also changes your brain’s physiology over time.  It floods the brain with neurotransmitters and enlarges both the hippocampus and pre-frontal cortex!  In fact, science says a 10-minute walk will do more for your thinking than any pill.  So, dump the Prevagen* and press PLAY!   *https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/jellyfish-memory-supplement-prevagen-hoax-ftc-says-n704886

P. S. Look at the picture above, close your eyes and recall something that stands out.  Type your response in the comments.