It is normal for the world to evolve in societal and technological aspects. But in that pursuit of knowledge, we tend to disregard certain key elements of our being. Therefore, memories-a crucial defining trait of Us as species.
We Strive to Progress-the Nature of Humanity
Firstly, when was the last time you memorised someone’s telephone number? Much of the need for remembering was replaced with convenience.
- The PIN for unlocking our phones, now has evolved to scanning your fingerprint.
- Bulky address books are bytes stored in a plethora of electronic devices.
- Remembering your password on a site has become an option to autosave, and with modern security certificates very few of us have any reason to worry.
From Young Age
There is a reason why we learn the alphabet by heart, and the same principle applies to that "earworm" that stuck a song in your head. Shocked or maybe Intrigued? Well, you probably are not, because every kid in elementary school know that -> "Practice makes perfect". That is how we learn the alphabet, the multiplication table, those strange trigonometric equations and everything else! The repetition of basic fundamentals in every topic is the prime principle of learning. But why-you might ask? And how does that tie in with the song stuck in your head?
The Hidden Treasure in Our Brain
To uncover the secrets, we have to go deeper, microscopically deeper. Understanding memory formation prompts you to know that memories are not stored, they are not physical things. Neurons are cells in the brain and that is a physical thing, but neurons are not the same as memories.
Memories are signals, a short-term memory is a pattern of signals in your mind. In short, it is a chain reaction. The more you do something, the closer the neurons, assigned to that activity, get. Now signals between them have less "road" to travel and in relation to that are stronger.
This is how habits are formed, or to put it bluntly: "Practice makes perfect"
Spring to Action
Now, imagine that we practice memorising things daily. In other words, we stimulate neurons that are responsible for our ability to make new memories and in return our retention skill skyrockets! But how, we ask ourself? Simple, we replace boredom, for example in public transit, and waiting rooms with our new convenience from the 21th century-our smartphones. Apps are not there just for fun, they can be fun and educative at the same time!
For the Young Age
Schools all around the world are making an effort to change the traditional style of learning, to make it more immersive and fun. Just by going online and searching for the term "Memory games", a bunch of apps together with medical studies will pop up in your browser. They are all worth reading, but you can trust this one too. Our children are growing up in a different world than the one in which we did. Things are changing ever so slowly, but with each generation, we are becoming more aware of how we learn and teach. And apps are one of the tools of change at our disposal so get your kid to try some of them, you might enjoy it too, we sure as hell did!
The Brains Business Insider
We stop growing in height past a certain age, but we never stop learning. We simply forget how we use to do it because we stopped stimulating our minds. Nevertheless, the thirst for knowledge is not easily quenched. As kids, it seems to come naturally, but as we get older, we think we had our fair share. However, the truth is far from it, and now that we have the inside knowledge of "Neurons Inc." we can get back to learning!
To recap
-What is the brains trade secret?
"Practice makes perfect"
-How to start?
Download a memory game to your smartphone!
-Why?
Read the article again.
