General Chat

It is a sad fact of life that as we age many of us have difficulties retrieving memories.

But now researchers think they know why — it's because older people's brains allocate more space to knowledge built up over the years, meaning there is more material to navigate when trying to access memories.

The study found that the older we get the more difficulty we have suppressing information that is no longer relevant.
It means that when searching for a specific memory, older people often retrieve other, irrelevant memories along with it.

That was the finding of research by experts at Harvard University, Columbia University and the University of Toronto, who looked at several behavioural and neuroimaging studies.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10502651/Lifetime-knowledge-clutter-memories-older-adults.html

I saw a lovely description of Dementia/Alzheimers recently - getting lost in the corridors of memories.

Ann, I read about that, and have decided it may be an idea to document my 'memories', so I can remember them, then forget them and focus on the present :-D

Good idea Maggie

C Sue that is nice

I've being saying for a while that there can't be much space left in my 'filing cabinets'.
Given that social media increasingly removes the need to think, eg, why interact when you can just 'like', is this why youngsters are obsessed with 'making memories'?

Are they Island? But I think I and my daughter (60) have always been concerned with making memories. But I agree social media does have an impact on the ability of some young people to be physically involved with others, except those they are in daily contact with (e.g. at school). I wonder what long term effect Covid will have on their ability to inter-react with actual people?

Yes my brain must be almost full now.

They are Ann :-D it might just be a catch phrase on FB though. We've always got on with enjoying whatever we doing, we didn't tell the neighbours (no FB then) that we were going on a day out to 'make memories'.
I think children will bounce back. Whenever I see 'better in our day/ I wouldn't want to be young now' - my granny used to say that as does each generation. I say each generation copes with whatever life is in their time. It's the older generation who ae being robbed by covid.
Good grief and it's only Sunday morning, much too early in the day LOL
I think I'll take a day off....

All correct though Island. What did you have for breakfast? Brainfood? :-D But you are right. I suspect it is actually social media that draws out attention to the difference in then and now. My parents were very strict right up until I was almost married I could not stay out late. But I took it as the norm, maybe if there had been social media then I might have realised that not all parents were as strict.

Judging by my own life and my situation now we made memories without even trying or knowing we were doing it.

Nonsense.

I recall our biology teacher telling us that our brain cells have the capacity to retain more than we will ever learn.

I am not sure that those amyloid plaques were known about then (the fifties) but perhaps it was just that we schoolchildren hadn’t heard of them.

What always surprises me is when people say they can remember things that happened when they were babies :-S

My earliest memory was being on the train with my Gran when I was about two-and a-half - and I can only pin the age down because that is when I returned to Liverpool to live with my grandparents for a while, having been away for a few weeks.

Sorry rollo do expand your theory don't leave us wanting more.

Ann, I assumed he meant his brain was so packed that there was only room for nonsense.

Island :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Ann, my parents were not at all strict. I was allowed a lot of freedom as long as (as Dad put it) I kept my nose clean which I did because I relished that freedom. I was also told to set an example for my younger siblings.

I remember when I was about 13 and Dad told me about the 'birds and bees', including venereal diseases - then told me not to tell my friends as their parents would tell them when they thought they were ready to know - some never did learn about things from their parents! Mum was really too reserved about some things but her mother whom I often stayed with was very easy going, like Dad.

Among other freedoms, I never had a time to be 'in' so I was stunned when I got together with my OH and realised how strict his parents were.

I have always been forever grateful for the easy attitude of my parents as I look back with great fondness on my enjoyable and unrestrictive teen years.

I was easy-going with our children too often to the amazement of my OH who, after a few early disagreements, let us get on with it. They turned out savvy and kind human beings, well able to think for themselves and make their own decisions.