BBC Focus Magazine

[scott fairbrass]

is there anything i can do to improve my memory? my ability to convert short term memory into long term is very poor and im constantly forgetting things.

[M Paul Lloyd]

Exercise, sleep, avoid stressful situations, remain focused and logical .................


Now then... where are my keys?

[nemisis1960]

Now then... where are my keys?

on the sideboard

ive often wondered if your memory power, capacity what ever you will call it decrease's with age. as i find im forgetting things more and more with everyday things but older memories seem to be ok.

and as a side note is it my laptop or is the letter W w fadeing in the middle when used in posts ?

[Shadowwolf]

Avoid doors

Seriously, recall recently reading - can't recall where at the mo - that research has shown that passing through a doorway somehow increases the chance of you forgetting what you went through it to get.

Oh and the letter looks fine to me Mr Nem, probably your display having some issue.

[M Paul Lloyd]

on the sideboard

Nope........... ah, kitchen bench.

Memory is an odd thing, some people I work with can spontaneously recall ridiculously long sequences of numbers, calculations and equations which I find really quite amazing, but then they work with such things every day so I guess they get used to it. But one chap in particular keeps forgetting appointments, and gets into bother about it, but it just seems to be a blind spot for him and no amount of effort seems to work, he even forgets to put them on his phone reminder thing, so he has no hope.

I do recall going to a lecture on memory improvement many years ago now (must have worked a bit then?) where we were told to give our memories labels, little mental images that would help us remember what they were, (strangely very like the icons you get on a computer desktop) and then stack these up on imaginary shelves in your mind. It sort of works for me except that some 'icons' do get a bit blurry over time.

[BrIDo]

Alcohol damages the area of the brain required for converting short term memories to long term.

[M Paul Lloyd]

Ah that explains it BriDo.

[MikeG]

Apparently, there is a correlation between intelligence and being absent minded. Einstein was supposed to be very absent minded. Or is this just another urban legend?

[M Paul Lloyd]

I am of the opinion the Einstein was Savant Autistic possibly even Asperger's, for example he didn't like wearing shoes and saw no point in addressing people directly. So as people on the Autistic Spectrum can appear 'absent minded' then yes, he probably was.


I say this from a certain degree of personal experience not just some random google search.