Royane Real
The Mystery of Human Memory
Introductory comments
By Royane Real
Author of : “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative”
Human beings have longed been intrigued by the mystery of memory. What is memory really, and how is it produced? Where do memories live, exactly? Memories seem to be so cloudy and fuzzy and they don’t really seem to have a center.
Despite all the scientific research that has been done on the subject of memory in recent decades, the exact nature of memory is still elusive. The mystery of memory has not been solved. The mystery of memory is still a subject that can be debated and discussed by poets as well as by scientists.
We all have things that we want to remember forever, as well as things we wish we could forget.
Our own most cherished memories and our most vivid memories are the ones that have the strongest emotions attached to them. When we think of those subjects again, we will also have that emotional flash that comes with the experience. We can recall again the intense joy and pleasure of a first kiss as well as the terror of a serious accident, or the sorrow we felt at the death of a loved one.
Does it really enhance our pleasure at remembering the good times if we know this message was encoded in our brain with various brain chemicals such as norepinephrine or other neurotransmitters?
Does knowing that neurotransmitters and amino acids play a part in forming memories make you feel pleased that you are starting to understand some deep mystery? Or do you feel that if you know how the technology works, it will remove a layer of mystery that you prefer to have left in place?
We all differ in our ideas of how much we want to learn about the way that memory works. Some of us who have a more scientific way of thinking, want to strip away all the mystery. We might even feel that we won’t be content until we have reduced every aspect of the brain to a series of chemical interactions. We want to say, “Mystery solved!”
Others among us have a far more poetic, or spiritual view that affects the way we want to understand memory. We want to believe that there will always be some mystery about humans that scientists will never solve.
Maybe the fact that memory is still largely mysterious should please both camps.
Those people who have a scientific outlook can be pleased that there is so much more work to be done to understand the nature of memory from a scientific perspective. And the poets and the dreamers among us can be reassured to know that we are still a very, very long way away from reducing the mind to nothing but a series of chemical reactions.
In the mean time, you may wish to remember to read the following article by Bertil B Hjert on the topic of memory.
( The introductory comments above are provided by Royane Real, author of the book “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” Download it today and learn more ways to get the maximum use of your brainpower. It’s available at http://www.lulu.com/real )
Feature article:
The Mystery of Human Memory
By: Bertil B Hjert
Memory is an integral part of human life. This can be defined as one’s potential to store, retain and consistently retrieve information. For years, experts in the field of medical science have been studying and researching to find ways to enhance memory.
A lot has gone into the study of how human memory works. Experts feel that the more you learn about your memory, the better understanding you can develop in order to improve it.
There are several things we don’t forget in our lives such as our crucial school days, summer holidays, some of the tales by granny, the scent of earth when it rains, first love and a lot more. These are the memories that make our life happier.
There are also certain bad memories associated to our lives and we tend to store them in our brain for a long, long time. These memories are some of the experiences that allow you to be a different person.
In modern times, experts believe that memory is complex. The memory of anything in your life or day to day activities can be referred to as a ‘complex constructive power’. Everyone possesses one. These are certain impressions coming from a pattern of cells that’s similar to a web. These cells are scattered throughout the brain.
Experts believe that the memory is made up of a group of several systems. Each system plays a different role when it comes to creating, storing as well as recalling memories. As soon as the brain starts processing information, all the systems mentioned above start functioning together in a perfect manner in order to provide a combined thought.
What we actually visualize as a single memory is a complex engineering. Whenever you think of an object; for instance a toy, all your brain does is to retrieve the name of the object, its’ function, shape and sound each time it plays or you take it in your hands. Every section of your memory describing at a toy is, derives from a totally different area of the brain. The whole image of toy is created by the brain from several regions of the brain.
Whenever you ride a bike or drive a car, a particular set of brain cells brings out the memory of operating the vehicle from starting till the end. When there are several things involved such as remembering how to ride a bike, the nervousness as a heavy vehicle passes by etc. comes from all parts of the brain. Experts have come to a conclusion that there is no solid distinction between the way you remember and the way you think.
Of course, the experts have come to a conclusion of how a system actually works. However, it is still not clear about how one remembers or what generally happens when one recalls.
The good news is that there are several things you can do to enhance your memory. There are several exercises, programs and techniques you can follow such as playing riddles, puzzles and several other activities that challenges your brain.
Human memory is a mystery but enhancing one is not!
About the Author
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