What's your fondest childhood memory?
By the time you have reached adulthood, you might have already forgotten a lot of things from so many years back but it's quite amazing how you can still recall things that are associated with your major life events like the time you got your first puppy, or the time you drove a car, etc.
You associate these vivid memories to your most important life events for a reason.
A University of Edinburgh study explained the event of creation of memories and called it "flash bulb" memory. The research suggest that when an individual is exposed to something that's new to them, the brain releases dopamine, a chemical that is being transmitted to the part of the brain that is responsible for memory foundation. So that means that the dopamine is the one that creates the memory for that specific moment.
In short, the way to improve your memory is the element of surprise.
Professor Richard Morris, of the Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Little surprises happen all the time in subtle ways that reflect our personal lives and interests. Somehow, the novelty of surprise creates a halo of better memory for all the otherwise trivial events of one's day that we ordinarily forget."
So now that you know what triggers your memory creation, here's how you can apply this in your daily life.
Take a break after long hours of focusing on your work. A few minutes to breathe won't hurt. Since dopamine is released when you finish something, you have to celebrate small wins within the day. No matter how small your accomplishments you deserve to celebrate them. Take body breaks to give yourself a boost of endorphins and dopamine.
And lastly, try something you haven't done before. It does not have to be breath taking or something like that. The only important thing is that you are able to create something new so you won't have to stick to just the same old routine because life does not have to be boring!
