Today on mind matters, I'm talking to Dr. Ann Winters, an expert on human memory.. Ann, welcome to the program. Now, I suppose the first question everyone would ask is: what exactly is human memory?
Well, like so many easy questions, the answer isn't very simple. Basically, human memory is a compartment in people's brains where they store images rather like the hard disc drive in a computer. And like a hard disc drive, our memories can become infected or even wiped out by accidents. But the comparison breaks down when we consider that we can train our memories to expand and work better which computers can't manage yet.
When you talk about memory being infected, do you mean by a disease?
Yes. For instance, people suffering from a physiological disease like Alzheimer: forget things that happened in the past. And they also forget how to perform simple tasks like tying their shoelaces. The good news is that brain exercises can help keep the brain young. Research has shown that people who have better educations and more mentally active jobs have a lower risk of developing the disease.
And how can someone exercise his brain? By thinking a lot?
In a way, yes. But you can also practice using your memory which not only exercises your brain but also improves you ability to remember things. Unfortunately, a lot of devices in modern life are designed to make sure we don't forget things which can make our brains more idle and weaken our memories.
Can you give us some examples of how to exercise our memories?
Sure, there is a very simple technique, although it works better for some people than for others. When you want to remember something, think of a physical thing it reminds you of. If I want to remember a date from history, let's say, 1066, the date of the Battle of Hastings. I might think that battle reminds me of bottle, so I think of a bottle with the number 1066 written on the label. And I just picture that bottle to myself.