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a poorer memory of the tour at a later date. tomorrow? Does it need to be written down?
“Creating a hard copy of an experience through Should I set a reminder? This is called meta-
media leaves only a diminished copy in our memory, and technology seems to screw it up. FAQ.
own heads,” she says. For instance, people who can access the
People who rely on a satellite navigation internet to help them answer general
system to get around are also worse at knowledge questions, such as “How does a zip
working out where they have been than work?”, overestimate how much information WHY DOES BEING
those who use maps. they think they have remembered, as well as
The mere expectation of information their knowledge of unrelated topics after the STRESSED AFFECT
being at our fingertips seems to have an effect. test, compared with people who answered
When we think something can be accessed the questions without going online. You lose YOUR MEMORY?
later, regardless of whether we will be tested touch with what came from you and what
on it, we have lower rates of recall of the came from the machine. “These are subtle
information itself and enhanced recall instead biases that may not matter too much if you
for where to access it. continue to have access to external resources,”
“These kinds of studies suggest that says Gilbert. “But if those resources disappear –
technology is changing our memories,” says in an exam, inan emergency, in a technological
Sam Gilbert at University College London. catastrophe – we may underestimate how
“We increasingly don’t need to remember much we would struggle without them. Having Emotion and memory go hand in
content, but instead, where to find it.” accurate insight into how good your memory hand. We secrete stress hormones,
In some instances, this could be useful. actually is, is just as important as having a good such as cortisol and adrenaline,
When people were given two lists of words and memory in the first place.” when we are emotionally aroused,
asked to memorise them each in 20 seconds, For now, technology seems to be tweaking whether the result of a trauma or a
those who were allowed to save the first list on rather than upending our capacity for memory, fantastic concert. These hormones
a computer rather than deleting it before but if the interface between us and devices trigger the firing of signals in the brain,
moving on to the next, could remember more merges more in the future, “the brain will really which promotes memory formation.
information from the second list at a later date. begin to adapt in ways we can’t anticipate right The flip side is that when it comes
It seemed as if cognitive offloading freed up now”, says Martin Conway, director of the to retrieving memories, stress can
vital brain resources that allowed them to Centre for Memory and Law at City, University hamper our efforts. It can also prevent
better memorise new information. of London (see “Can I supercharge my us from updating existing memories
But relying too heavily on devices can memory?”, page 33). with new information. Which explains
mess with our appreciation of how good our So if you are ever again asked about an why, despite our best efforts, it is all
memory actually is. We are constantly making ostrich brain, try the encyclopaedia in your too easy for the mind to go blank in the
judgements about whether something is worth head before reaching for your phone. Just stressful setting of a presentation or
storing in mind. Will I remember this remember, the answer is yes. Helen Thomson the exam hall. YY

characteristic of autobiographical These involuntary memories memory is different. This could be in Baltimore, Maryland.
memory,” says Dorthe Berntsen of are often associated with the down to innate differences in brain Expertise, prior knowledge and
Aarhus University in Denmark, environment we are in, and there is a wiring. People with prosopagnosia, practice make a big difference to
who studies this phenomenon. Once high probability they have relevance or face blindness, for example, can’t what we remember. Tests of chess
they pop into your head, they soon to the ongoing situation, she says. easily tell faces apart, even if they masters, for example, show that they
disappear. “They’re like dreams – if “They can give you an update, belong to people they know well. have a superior memory for patterns
you don’t write them down, you reminding you that last time you were At the other end of the spectrum of pieces on a chessboard, but only
forget all about them,” Berntsen says. in this situation you did this or that,” are super-recognisers, who have for ones that are plausibly found in
We tend to experience more of she says. But they are also cheap. an amazing memory for faces. the game. Their ability to remember
these spontaneous memories as we “They don’t require the parts of the For the rest of us, our memory random positions is little better than
age and retrieve fewer memories brain that require effort – executive skills (or lack thereof) are more that of novices. And studies on
consciously, perhaps because we find functioning. If they are not relevant, likely to be due to our life experiences master memorisers who, for instance,
it harder to inhibit thoughts as we get you don’t have to think about them,” and strategies we’ve picked up along can remember thousands of digits
older. Berntsen’s work shows that Berntsen says. the way. Most of us start out with of the number pi, show that their
they tend not to spring up when we roughly the same memory ability, superior powers of recall are due to
are focused on a task, but are more I can remember facts, but “subtle differences at the strategies to “chunk” information into
likely to appear in dull moments. but am rubbish at faces beginning get amplified by meaningful groups, not any innate
She thinks that, far from being an experiences and interests that build talent for remembering. “They still
unwanted distraction, they are an You might come across as rude if you on each other. It’s not intrinsic, it’s need sticky notes on the fridge door
important component of daily don’t remember people, but don’t acquired,” says neurologist Barry to remember their shopping list,”
functioning. beat yourself up about it, everybody’s Gordon at Johns Hopkins University says Gordon. Alison George

27 October 2018 | NewScientist | 39