It is essentially common knowledge, among scientists and biology students at least, that smell and memory are closely connected. The two functions are operated by the same part of the brain, so it's understandable that the distinctive scent of a certain meal can transport someone back to their childhood kitchen. Now, a new study released in the Journal of Neuroscience has revealed that another less tangible sensibility also may play a part in how well people retain specific memories.
ScienceDaily reports that a team of psychologists at the University of Toronto have established a connection between emotion and the creation of especially clear, longstanding recollections. According to postdoctoral fellow Rebecca Todd, people actually register events differently when they hold some emotional weight, such as a painful breakup or a joy-filled reunion.
"We call this 'emotionally enhanced vividness' and it is like the flash of a flashbulb that illuminates an event as it's captured for memory," Todd explains, adding that this initial clarity also dictates how clearly such happenings are preserved in memories.
To establish this, Todd and her research team collaborated with psychologists from the University of Manitoba and the University of California, San Diego to observe the brain activity of subjects who were shown a series of images deemed emotionally arousing in a positive or negative way, as well as ones that were considered neutral. The study revealed that portions of the brain had a greater response to pictures that were emotionally stirring, and that subjects recalled the same images more vividly later.
Of course, this doesn't help much when it comes to remembering neutral topics, like names from a dinner party or facts from a textbook – unless the gathering was particularly exciting, or the text somewhat traumatic. For these less emotive matters, there are steps you can take that could improve your memory over all. To see information about our brain support nutritional supplements, click here.