By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
The ability to remember is a basic requirement for our survival. See what happens when you forget where you placed your keys or your eyeglasses or you forget that you have utang. What if you forget where your house is or which baby is yours or which man is your husband or which woman is your wife? … That would be disaster but that what happens in Alzheimer’s disease.
We need to remember for us to learn and by learning, we are able to survive. When he was learning to climb the stairs, my grandson had to remember to hold on to the baluster otherwise he would fall. His Dad taught him to do this and later his memory of what his Dad taught him prevented him and will prevent him from accidents. Same case with using the spoon to put food in your mouth. We taught this little kid how to use the spoon but he needed his memory of this act so he could do it again and again in the future. It seems a no brainer but this simple act needs us to remember the process.
Memory is the ability to store, retain and recall information and experiences. It is important in perception, learning, problem-solving, language.
Information processing in our brain involves three stages. First is the encoding or registration which is receiving and processing the data including combining received information. Next is storage which means your brain creates a permanent record of the encoded information. Last stage is recall or recollection where you bring out the stored information to be used for an activity or process. For example, in school, students are given information by the teacher and these information are stored in the brain. During the exam, the student will mentally retrieve the information from the brain to answer the test questions. Much like the memory of a computer. But more complicated because the human mind can seemingly combine data ad infinitum. Observe how you jump to conclusions with just a single cue – like seeing a woman walking with man can make you conclude that they are friends even if they just happened to be in that scene together at that particular time.
The ability to remember is fairly uniform among normal people that is why we have schools where a teacher gives the same information and experiences to a group of students and expects them to answer uniformly to the test he or she will give later on. Likewise, after giving a health lecture, we expect those who attended to remember what we said or at least a fraction of what we said (granting of course that they have normal hearing.) A priest also expects us to become more of a saint than a sinner after listening to the instructions he gave during his well-prepared sermons. I would also expect the reader to remember something after reading this column.
Different people have different degrees of retaining information. There are also differences in the kind and amount of detail that is retained. Attention, motivation and association facilitate this process of remembering. Thus retention is better if you listen closely and not be talking with your neighbor or texting while the lecture is going on or there’s no blaring music while you are studying. Attention is closely linked with motivation – if you are in a lecture or meeting just because you are forced to attend, then you won’t really like to listen and it is expected that you come out of that experience retaining nothing but the camote they served for snacks.
Association is a great memory enhancer and this is being exploited to the max by the big business industry. Advertisements of unhealthy fast foods feature happy lola and lolo with the kids eating hamburger or red spaghetti. Or they would show the family, all smiles, eating out in the fast food restaurant. Those fat and calorie heavy foods then become associated with a happy family. So the next time lola gets her pension, she will take the children out for hamburger and ice cream. Or when the family goes on vacation to Baguio, one of the must destinations is the fast-food resto. The children then will have happy memories of that experience especially that, aside from eating, they had fun playing in the resto’s playground. And they will keep going back because of the happy association…. Until somebody gets sick…. So parents and grandparents, be mindful of the memories you give to your children and grandchildren.
The beer and gin advertisements feature scantily clad women and macho looking men. What about cigarettes? Cigarette advertisements are banned nowadays but see how they are subtlely but effectively advertised in movies. Remember the role of association next time you see something being advertised on television or internet.
We also have better memories of what we see rather than what we only hear. Some people are gifted with photographic memory – one look and they remember the details. I have read that President Duterte has photographic memory. Brilliant people have photographic memory. The more senses involved the better we will remember. Like you easily remember durian because of its strong smell and the sharp spines on its skin.
Emotions greatly affect our memories also . Our most vivid memories are those when we were happy or angry or sad or embarassed. We would remember these experiences more often and to the detail. Try to recall your childhood. What do you remember? Me, I remember when we were young we would go pick alumani (blueberries) early morning in the mountains of Besao- I remember the joy of finding luscious alumani still wet with dew under its leaves. Right now, I can even recall the delicate sweetness. Sometimes, especially with unpleasant experiences, we forget the exact event but we remember the emotion. So there are times that we don’t like the face of a certain person but we forget why is that. It’s a case of “I will forgive you but I will never forget!” But such negative feelings are not healthy so it is best to recall why and really forgive. My son, who is a math teacher, takes effort to provide happy experiences to his students so they will like math. Because when you like a subject, you will learn it better and faster. Math is crucial also to memory and survival. We’ll have another column on that in the future.
Repetition will also enhance memory. I grew up in the age when there were neither calculators nor computers. We were made to repeat and repeat the contents of the addition and multiplication tables. I can recall my Mom, who was our teacher then holding up the multiplication table for us to memorize. We were drilled in memorizing those tables. So even now I can recall those numbers and mentally add and multiply (at least up to a certain digit). At present, students depend on the memory of the calculator and the computer. The problem with external memory is when it conks out, you are helpless. You could be shortchanged when shopping and you won’t even know it. Again, the business industry utilizes repetition to influence people to buy their products – see how many times milk advertisments are flashed on the screen. Do we wonder why people buy milk even if it best left for baby cow. I tuned in to one radio station one time and by golly, it was filled with advertisements of so many products. Remember they advertise the product so you will buy it, so that you will voluntarily give your money to whoever is selling.
Memories… memories…. Memories are vital to keep our neural pathways working. Remembering is like walking on a path. If you frequently walk on a path, it will keep clear and weeds won’t grow. If you use it only once in a while, weeds will grow and later on, you won’t know where the path was. Likewise, if you choose to forget your past, then your neural pathways will be blocked and that’s the recipe for “kabaw”. To keep our memories, therefore, it is advisable to keep in contact with people and events in your past. If you retire, continue attending begnas, dadawak, alumni homecomings, church events, invite yourself to office parties, attend family reunions, etc.
Memories are vital to our thinking and decision-making. For us to function well as stewards of ourselves and this beautiful world, we need to make the right decisions. The right choices are necessary ingredients to our health and happiness. We draw on unpleasant memories mainly for lessons and we draw on good memories to tide us over unpleasant ones. We remember those we love but see no longer. Sweetheart, thank you for the memories. Happy Birthday! **
“And we know that in all things God works for good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
