What’s My Name Again?
June 28th, 2007
Here’s some good news for my husband: it turns out that memory loss could be just a sign that your brain is saving room for the really important things.
According to an article in the Stanford News,
For the first time, Stanford researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have discovered that the brain’s ability to suppress irrelevant memories makes it easier for humans to remember what’s really important.
“It’s somewhat of a counter-intuitive idea,” said Brice Kuhl, a doctoral student working in the lab of Associate Professor Anthony Wagner of the Psychology Department. “Remembering something actually has a cost for memories that are related but irrelevant.” But this cost is beneficial: The brain’s ability to weaken unimportant memories and experiences enables it to function more efficiently in the future, Kuhl said.
So next time one of the three boys in my house forgets to put the seat back down, perhaps I can chalk it up to a greater good?
June 29th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
I always had that theory! I used to be a wealth of music knowledge and now I’m always like, “That ONE band - you know - OH! how does that song go!?” My brain is filled with dumb electronics information now.
boo.