THE GIRL WITH A FLASH DRIVE

How Much Can Fit into Your Head?

No-one has yet built a computer which can store as much information as your head does. The human memory is enormous. If someone has an excellent memory, they are not only good at storing but also at recalling information. There are several different types of memory. We have a short-term memory for things that we won’t need to remember the next day. When we are crossing the road, we only need to keep the fact that the green man is lit up in our memory for a few seconds. However, there are some things that we have to remember for a much longer time. Our medium-term memory is used to store information that we will need for a certain period of time, for example at school. We also have a long-term memory for things that we will need to know all our life.

What is the point of forgetting?

So that we feel happy when we remember something again.

How do we memorize something and how do we recall it?

The memory has two important helpers. One of these is our experiences, for which a special structure in the brain called the limbic system is responsible. It recognizes what is pleasant and unpleasant for us and what makes us happy or sad. An experience helps us to remember an event and everything connected with it. It then affects the way we behave in the future. Memory’s other helper is our imagination. There are many different techniques to make it easier to remember something. They all have one thing in common: they teach us how to create a link between what is difficult to remember and what is easy to remember. If you form a surprising, funny or crazy image of the thing you want to remember, then you won’t be able to get it out of your head.

(Translated by Graeme Dibble)