How we rewrite our memories every time we recall a moment and why that can help us
Every time we recall something, it sets off actions that change us and alter our memories – something that could have therapeutic benefits
We often think of memories like the contents of a museum: static exhibits that we view to understand the present and prepare for the future.
The latest research, however, suggests they are more like well-thumbed library books that wear and change a little bit every time they are pulled off the shelf.
Think of one of your happiest memories. Sit with the recollection. Let your mind’s eye wander around the scene. See if you can feel a spark of the joy or hope you felt at the time. Let a minute pass. Maybe two.
If you played along with this experiment, you are now physically different from what you were a few minutes ago.
When you started to recall the memory, brain cells that were dormant just seconds before began firing chemicals at one another. That triggered regions of your brain involved in processing emotions, and you may have re-experienced some feelings you had at the time of the event.
Chemical and electrical signals shot out to the rest of your body. If you were stressed before you began the exercise, your heart rate probably slowed and stabilised as levels of cortisol and other stress hormones decreased in your blood. If you were already calm, your heart rate may have increased with excitement.
In either case, regions of the brain that light up when you get a reward jittered with dopamine.