Memory - What is it?
Memory is something that is so vital to who we are and how we function yet we very rarely think much about it. Over the next few weeks we are going to examine memory. We will look at what it is, what the different types are, how we make them and the neuroscience research examining it.
What is Memory?
Our memory is who we are
“You have to begin to lose your memory, if only in bits and pieces, to realize that memory is what makes our lives. Life without memory is no life at all, just as an intelligence without the possibility of expression is not really an intelligence. Our memory is our coherence, our reason, our feeling, even our action. Without it, we are nothing”. Luis Buñuel
If you had to define what makes us who we are how would you do that? Is it how we look? Is it how we react to things? (Getting angry easily or reacting positively?) Is it our personality? (How extraverted or introverted we are?)
I’d like to think that one of the main things that makes us who we are is our experiences. What we have seen. Where we have been. What we have done. But after the event, what are we left with? Our memory of it. Our memory is our ‘proof’ of our life experiences. Our way to relive those special moments. Our way to learn from those experiences.
Imagine you lost the ability to create memories…just for a minute. You woke up and you think that this is the first time you have ever woken up. You write down on a piece of paper that you have awoken for the first time. You then look at the piece of paper but don’t remember writing that you have awoken for the first time, so you cross it out and write that you have NOW awoken for the first time. A minute later, you do the same thing again. This happened to a patient with severe brain damage. Life without your memories means that you lose your sense of self.
Memory is also key to survival. Learning what will hurt us and what will benefit us allowed our ancestors to stay alive. Learning where the food grows, learning where the lion hunts, or even more basically that a lion is dangerous, would have been vital to surviving.
Today, our memory continues to be key to our survival. Look at your everyday high school exam? What does it test? It tests your ability to absorb information and recall or use it when required. All this requires the use of your memory. Think about your last job interview. Think about the type of questions they asked. It’s likely that you would have been asked to prove that you have the knowledge required for the job. This requires using your memory.
