Editor’s Note: The podcast chases life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medicine behind some of the mysteries of life, big and small. You can listen to the episode here.
(CNN) – Most of us are familiar with the frustration of forgetting. Whether you struggle with words on the tip of your tongue, leaving important items like keys and glasses, or denying the reason you came to the room.
What do we tend to forget, especially in the age of being informed firefighters every time we wake up, between our lives in the physical world and what comes to us electronically via smartphones, televisions, computers, etc.?
The average American is exposed to an estimated 34 gigabytes (value 11.8 hours) every day. Dr. Charanlanganat writes in his latest book, “Why Remember: Unlocking the Power of Memory to Restrain What Is Important.” The figures came from a 2009 report by the Center for Global Information Industry at the University of California, San Diego.
“The last time I looked into it, the estimates increased even more,” Langanath recently told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta about his life following his Podgecast. Ranganath directs the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California, Davis and is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience.
Far from remembering all this information, he said that the science of memory shows that humans are designed to forget. In fact, Ranganath’s book refers to the work of cognitive psychologist George Miller, who concluded in a 1956 paper that seven items (plus or minus two) can be kept in mind at a time. (Subsequent research shows that Ranganath is close to three or four items, as follows:)
“I think one of the misconceptions there should be taking everything that’s around us,” he said. “In fact, our brains actually work on this economic principle: to get as little information as possible and create as much of that information.”
Listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about the nature of memory here.
“It’s all about this economy, and I can be careful as this big filter, and I can focus on what’s most important,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s something you expect, sometimes it’s something that violates your expectations, and that’s where it makes the most sense,” he said. “But that also means that we sometimes miss things and our attention is directed at the wrong place at the wrong time, which makes us frustrated.”
Improved memory is not about trying to cram more information into your mind. “What I mean is, remember more and don’t try to remember better,” said Ranganath. “Remembering something better sometimes means less.”
One way to do that is to use a process called chunking or group many things into one. Not only do you remember the alphabet like this, but also the Social Security number and the name of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Ellie, Superior acronym home). By grouping these items, you reduce the number of things you need to remember. Instead of 26 individual items, there will be one alphabet.
Similarly, memory athletes who compete to remember the order of a few digits of PI or deck of cards can “develop strategies that allow them to significantly slot the information they are trying to remember into this big structure, and 10 things can become one,” Ranganath said.
If you are suffering from forgetfulness, what can you do? Here are five tricks from Langanath that can help shape the memory of important events. All you have to do is to “call the Medic.” He said in an email.
Attach important things to remember.
“If you can tie information like a name to information that means you, you will remember information like a name,” he said.
For example, if you’re a fan of Greek mythology, you could link the name of Langanath, Charan, to Charon, an underworld ferryman who carries the souls of the dead across rivers for price.
“And (you can imagine) me ferrying people across the river of the dead,” he said.
Such a vivid image will help you remember the name.
Test it yourself. Even if you made a mistake, Langanath said trial and error is one of the best ways to remember something.
“If you’re learning a new name or a foreign word, guess what the name is or guess what the word means,” he said.
When you learn the answer, he said, “The brain tweaks its memory to make sure it is more closely related to the correct answer, and is unlikely to be related to a competing answer.”
Make it pop.
“It’s easier to find memories with features that stand out from other memories, just as it’s easy to find hot pink post-it notes on a desk full of yellow notebooks,” Langanath said.
For example, “When you place the keys, beware of details like sounds and unique visual cues,” he said.
It would go a long way to help you remember where you placed them, he said, you are desperately scrambling to get out the door.
Take advantage of the fact that your brain is adapting to flags of key moments.
“We hold memories of events that are important in a biological sense,” said Langanath. “When you have a rewarding, frightening or embarrassing experience, chemicals like dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin are released to promote plasticity.” These neurotransmitters can help you solidify the experience in your memory a little more.
Curiosity can also play a role.
“We found that increasing curiosity has a similar effect on memory,” he said. He said that curiosity activates the “brain dopamine ingestion area” and promotes learning.
“So, before you learn, be interested in the subject!” he said.
Use your senses and take a little trip.
“The memories of events and episodes are linked to where and when the events took place,” Langanath said. “That’s why I can go back in time, listening to songs I played overseas in college and smelling the food my grandmother was making.”
“If you’re trying to remember past events, imagine the place and time you have. Imagine how you felt, what you were thinking, the sights and sounds of the place.
We hope these 5 tips will help you remember more and memorize less. Listen to the entire episode here. Join us next Tuesday for a new episode of chasing life.