Remembering everything is task impossible. As we age, our memory sometimes fails. But we use it every day. To prevent it from tricking us, there are several strategies. Among them, handwriting. Explanations.
Neuropsychologists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) recruited twenty-four volunteers (children and teenagers) who were responsible for writing fifteen words, sometimes by handwriting, sometimes by drawing (using a digital pen in both cases), sometimes by typing on a keyboard. Their brain’s electrical activity was measured throughout the experiment with an electroencephalogram (EEG).
In the journal Frontiers in Psychology, the authors point to synchronized activation of theta bands in parietal regions (which, according to existing literature, are associated with brain activation patterns related to learning and encoding new information) when producing letters by hand. While creating drawings… on the other hand, it couldn’t be highlighted while typing.
For your pens!
Psychologist Richard Stephens of the University of Kiel and his colleagues from the universities of Ulster, Westminster and Södertorn (Sweden) reviewed more than a hundred works devoted to the study of swearing as a result of university research in linguistics, psychology, neuroscience. Their findings, published in the journal Lingua, reveal that swearing triggers a number of cognitive, physiological, emotional and communicative effects. According to Dr. Stephens, it can be a useful tool to help manage pain and improve our performance during exercise.
5 types of memory
How does our memory work? According to Inserm, five types of memory, although they are interconnected, have been identified. They include distinct neural networks:
- Working (short-term) memory is at the heart of the network.
- Semantic memory and episodic memory are two long-term conscious representational systems.
- Procedural memory allows unconscious automatisms.
- Perceptual memory is linked to different sensory modalities.
“Sometimes all memories other than working memory are grouped under the general name of long-term memory. Additionally, we often distinguish between overt memories (episodic and semantic) and implicit memories (procedural and perceptual)”.Serm.
Music is an amazing time machine! Intimate connections with our memory, stress-relieving virtues… it doesn’t end up benefiting us. And scientists are starting to take a serious interest in it! 🎼https://t.co/oasfT0w7DK
— Psychology (@Psychologies_) December 30, 2017
