Memory – without it, you would not learn from your past, or be able to apply
already learned information to help you make new decisions or do new tasks…
But why do some memories stick and others pass through and drift into nothing?
And why do we forget some things so easily – like the name of a movie, or our neighbours children´s names, for example?
Well, researchers just discovered through a fruit fly experiment that there´s a major ingredient the brain uses to form memories – making them long term memories so they stick…
Read on more about it below…
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Long term memories are formed when the brain releases dopamine…
The researchers measured the electrical signals in the brains of fruit flies while exposing them to different smells and either rewards or punishments…
They learned that dopamine plays a major role in incoding information (learned and innate information) into long term memories…
The stronger the association with rewards, either immediate or already formed associations, the more likely a short term memory becomes a long term one…
For example, you may be very bad at learning new phone numbers, but if you meet someone you really like, and you want to be able to call them often, you´re more likely to remember the number without much hassle (of course owning a cellphone in which you can save your contacts without ever remembering their numbers does not help our memory skills these days)…
So how do we use this discovery to help us improve our memory?
The brain releases dopamine when we experience something pleasurable…
So, try to associate new information with fun, a rewarding behaviour, memory or feeling, or make it a game…
Turn everything into a personal challenge – eg. make up mnemonic for your car license, or anything else you need to remember…
Even appointments – find something about that date that´s interesting or fun – like someone´s birthday on the same day, or the anniversary of an important occurrence like the end of a war, etc…
Keep reading…
How else can you increase dopamine levels in your brain?
Do more things that make you feel good – even when you´re not trying to remember something…
If you love music, find ways to incorporate it into your day, for example…
Love socialising – be the one who sets up games nights, plans hikes and books dinners or concerts for your group of friends…Make more friends in your neighbourhood if your current friends are too busy or don´t love fun as much as you do…
Be sure to add some exercise into your day, to follow a healthy diet and to get enough sleep so that you can keep a positive outlook on life…
Reference:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07819-w
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