Common Memory Myths
Q: Do people lose brain cells everyday and eventually just run out?
A: No. As an adult, most of the regions of the brain do not lose brain cells as you get older. You may lose some nerve connections, though this is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be part of the resculpting of the brain that occurs with experience. Regardless, it’s possible that you can even grow new brain cells and new connections, or prevent the ones you have from withering, if you exercise your mind and brain.
Q: Can you do anything to keep your memory from getting worse as you get older?
A: Yes. While the memory deficits that can occur with aging are actually relatively slight, they can certainly be annoying. There are a few simple strategies that can help keep your thinking vibrant, improve the quality of your everyday life, help use your memory most effectively, and even improve your memory ability.
Q: Can a person kill or hurt someone and never remember it?
A: Possibly. Research does suggest that it is possible that a few people may not remember a few acts of passion very well. But this must be rare. Almost everyone can be expected to remember at least something of what happened. It is unlikely that such "amnesia" happens as often as it seems to be claimed as a defense strategy.
Q: Is it true that everything I’ve ever learned is locked inside my head; I just need the right key to get it out?
A: No. Our memories are not so much locked away as they are rearranged and repainted. And we forget selectively, too. You may find the key, but expect that the room you step into has been remodeled.
Q: Is everyone born with the same memory ability, but some use it and others lose it?
A: No. All memory abilities are not created equal, and they get even more unequal as we get older. But it is not clear why these differences occur at any age.
Information taken from Memory: Remembering and Forgetting in Everyday Life by Barry Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. and Intelligent Memory: Improve the Memory That Makes You Smarter by Barry Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. and Lisa Berger.
