Memories

[Aimless]

Reading one of the various festive threads I was about to regale you with the time I once spent Christmas with another family, my own having gone away. I remembered the skylight in my friend's room gilded in snow, the slab pancakes his dad conjured up in the morning, roasting chestnuts on an open fire — how cliché! — and unwrapping presents as the night drew in. It was lovely.

 

It also never happened.

 

All those things came back to me, but in truth my 'memory' was being constructed on the fly, cannibalising real moments in history to supplement what was a sorely lacking non-event. I do remember the snow-lined skylight, I believe that originates from a bonfire night. I do remember the pancakes, his dad loved to make them along with lightly charred bacon. I do remember roasting chestnuts, but that was at my friend's old house before his parents split up. I also remember unwrapping presents but they weren't for Christmas, it was my 14th birthday back in 2000 when I stayed at my friend's house whilst my parents headed to an aunt's; I don't recall the year itself, but I remembered getting Rayman 2 for the Dreamcast.

 

How sure are you of your memories? Are you aware of embellishing or romanticising past events? Do you have any you suspect to be false? Does it matter to you either way?

Edited December 25, 2010 by Aimless
Typo

[Daft]

Memories are unstable, constantly in flux. They are what define us as 'individuals' and they help construct our identity. With our need, especially in contemporary Western society, for us to constantly reaffirm our identity we hone in on aspects and events that do this. Memories thus also become extensions of ourselves.

 

It is impossible to remember something completely and so by omission, intentional or not, memories are 'false'. So in response to how sure am I of my memories, I am completely sure of them. They're mine. Remade by me, it doesn't matter what they were, only what their recollection presents.

 

I don't think I have any memories that are totally false. I suspect they all contain more than just a modicum of intimate truth to them.

 

I think that there is a strong, almost inseparable, link between history and memory (at least in this country). Whereas, and I might be wrong - my German blows - the words 'Geschichte' and 'Historie' point to a difference between the practice of history and real memory. Memory and history are different, that shouldn't be forgotten. In short, I am very aware that my memories are what I make them. It doesn't bother me though, reality becomes lost to time, you can't change that.

 

/Late night nonsensical ramble

[Goafer]

I have trouble trusting my memory. It's usually correct, but I'm just not that confident in it. I remember a TV programme or something saying the first step to improving your memory is to trust it more. I try, but I'm still wary.

 

My audio memory is pretty good. I've somethings said to me or something is said in a movie/tv show etc, I can play it back in my head and remember pretty much exactly how it was said.

 

My visual memory is pretty shit though. I can remember peoples faces, but I'd have a hard time giving a witness report.

 

Also, despite being good at maths all my life, I can't remember numbers/dates for shit.

[enchantress]

I'm terrible with time-frame references.

 

Something could have happened six months ago and I'll swear blind it was only two months. I'll think something happened only a year ago, but it was actually four years ago.

 

It's weird because my recollection of events is pretty stable, it's how long ago it took place that is the problem.

[Ashley]

Just watch How I Met Your Mother. They do it brilliantly.

 

Wait! More perfectly is Veronica Mars' episode 'A Trip to the Dentist', a wonderful example of relying on memory (and honesty) for investigating but then you should watch the twenty episodes preceding that...

 

And yeah this happens with me in real life obviously but nobody cares about that.

[Ellmeister]

And yeah this happens with me in real life obviously but nobody cares about me.

 

Fixed

 

Yeah my memory can be frustrating at times. I can pick up random things sometimes that even astound me when it comes out of my mouth but at other times I forget some obvious memories even if they happened in the past 24hours!

 

Also I cannot quote people or movies precisely. I can get the gist but not the actual specific wording meaning I look stupid whenever I attempt to do it.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Being an autist, I can have excellent memory at times. I can remember the most pointless little bits and bobs of information and never forget them, and likewise I'm pretty good at memorising long speeches and the like.

 

But my memory is just as easily fooled as those of everybody else.

[Jonnas]

Just watch How I Met Your Mother. They do it brilliantly.

 

Oh yeah? You're a big stupid octopus head!

Wait, that doesn't sound right...

 

My memory is weird. My recollection of events is either very accurate, or nearly non-existant. The "intertwining bits and pieces" type of remembrance rarely happens with me.

[The Bard]

Why does nobody post in the threads that actually have some interesting content?

 

As for memories, there are ways in which I agree with Daft, in that our minds are less concerned with historical posterity when it comes to documenting information within our neurones, but are trying to create a sense of narrative that conforms to a conception of our sense of self.

 

The neurological aspect of their lack of "stability" as Daft put it, is to do with a molecule called CREB, and it's action within the physical substrate of our memories is absolutely fascinating:

 

Memories are based in the interconnections of synaptic dendrites, which are sort of the branches of the neuronal tree. What is absolutely fascinating is that whenever we undertake to remember a memory, CREB is deployed between the synaptic clefts and causes the dendritic interconnections between neurones to become loose and malleable whereas before they were tightly tied together. It allows them to shift, subtly, and their movements are informed by our mood, or subjective sensibility in the present, or even because of a new interpretation based on knowledge that we've gained about the situation since then.

 

 

We believe what we want to believe and rationalise after the fact. Human beings are less rational, and more rationalising. Reminds me of the chapter on the Ascetic Ideal in Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals where he talks about Wagner's ideological graduation over time, from the virility and sensual leanings in his youth, to his ascetism in old age when the biological pangs that drove his youthful ideologies wore down. Sometimes the outcomes of our lives are unchosen and unpredictable, but we come to build up a mental support structure and ideology to surround and justify what they have made us.

 

Just take a look at the "Regrets" thread. A lot of people in there are saying that they don't really regret the things that they kinda regret because it has made them who they are. Self justification is a necessary part of being human, and sometimes the validity of our memories have to suffer because of it.

 

I need to stop with the long posts. HEYZEUS.

Edited December 28, 2010 by The Bard

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Why does nobody post in the threads that actually have some interesting content?

 

Because after you and/or Daft have posted, there's not much for us commoners to add.

[The Bard]

Cheers Danny

 

Ego +1

 

Not true though, I'm sure you have lots to add.

[nightwolf]

Because after you and/or Daft have posted, there's not much for us commoners to add.

 

You know not to encourage them. Tsk.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

I know nothing about the nature of memories, really. I've added what little I can to the discussion.

[The Bard]

Yeah but there's more to talk about with memories than reducing them with scientific abstraction. Sometimes its better to talk about the actual experience. You just said that you have a good ability to retain memories which means you're eminently qualified to talk about them .

 

My memory tends to fluctuate; sometimes I can recall experiences very clearly and with detail and other times the same information is unavailable, which is a baffling and sometimes frightning experience.

Edited December 28, 2010 by The Bard

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Well, thanks. I'm still not sure what else I can add, though ... I have a knack for memorising things, yes. Whether it's song lyrics, quotes, lines for a play, Latin noun declinations or something else, I often just need to study it for a while in order to make it stick. It's not photographic or extraordinary, really.

[Diageo]

I have a terrible memory when leaving places, I almost always forget something I am carrying.

 

When it comes to studying for things, it seems to stick quite easily. Especially when the subject is interesting like Psychology or Biology. I can read over the pages or notes once and that seems to be enough. For subjects like History and English, it can take a while to learn. I'm terrible at quotes, can only paraphrase. Except if it's Friends quotes, then they flow out of me like diarrhoea.

 

As I love learning about the brain, The Bard's post was quite interesting to read. If you would like to elaborate on how memories work, feel free.

 

Well, thanks. I'm still not sure what else I can add, though ... I have a knack for memorising things, yes. Whether it's song lyrics, quotes, lines for a play, Latin noun declinations or something else, I often just need to study it for a while in order to make it stick. It's not photographic or extraordinary, really.

 

Latin declentions are easy to learn. :p

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Latin declentions are easy to learn. :p

 

I'm not sure what your point is. They're something you just have to memorise like so much else. If you're good at memorising, it's easy. If not, it's hard.

[Jon]

Emotions play a strong link to memories, you're always going to remember something that affected you in someway, be it good, bad or the ugly. These are conscious memories in that they're always with you and you can actively reminisce them if you require. What always interested me is the memories we subconsciously pick up, it might be something we weren't even aware was happening at the time that later formulates as a memory or as someone pointed out earlier, it could easily just be your brain playing tricks with you.

 

A memory can really be whatever you want it too be, it might also be something that only triggers when you hear a song you love or see someone you haven't in a long time. It amazes me that some thought that has laid dormant in your brain for years can suddenly jump to the forefront of your mind when you randomly bump into someone you have't seen in years.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Jon

[Diageo]

I'm not sure what your point is. They're something you just have to memorise like so much else. If you're good at memorising, it's easy. If not, it's hard.

Well then I guess I'm good at memorising.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

It amazes me that some thought that has laid dormant in your brain for years can suddenly jump to the forefront of your mind when you randomly bump into someone you have't seen in years.

 

Funny you should word it that way. You guys know when you're trying to remember something - a name for instance - when you know you're so close to remembering it? It's funny how you can almost literally feel how close whatever you're trying to remember is to ... well, being remembered. Like it's swimming around in dark waters and you can see it vaguely in the surface without being able to make it out.

[Ganepark32]

Like others, my memory has the tendency to fluctuate between being good some times while being bad at others. I can, at times, recall the most mundane of memoric information from years ago, something which has little to or absolutely no relevance or bearing to what could be going on in my current occurrences, but have trouble recalling things from a couple of minutes ago when asked to. Presumably, it's either as a result of the decay of this information in my short term memory or a more plausible outcome may be that the information is still being processed so as to become a long term memory or something.

 

What is strange, however, is the frequency with which I seem to access and recall memories going all the way back 10 or so years to when I started high school. It's almost like how someone suffering with PTSD would have chronic remembrances of traumatic memories or experiences, as these memories of mine seem to just go off at any random time. Some, like most memories, are triggered through stimuli which are part of the memory but others simply don't follow this line of neurological activity, instead seemingly acting unconsciously of what I may be doing and simply managing to pierce their way into my conscious stream of thought.

 

They're not bad memories, far from it. Nor are they traumatic and nor have I experienced anything traumatic which would lead to this kind of thing so it is rather strange that it happens with such a frequent occurrence. Perhaps it is to do with some form of repression in that I haven't seen to or attended to these fleeting glimpses of my past in anyway and they're trying to get me to finish a particular chapter I may have left unfinished when I went off to do something else in my life. Who knows. Never come across anything like it in my research for psychology.

 

And Bard, you've pretty much given an insight into the areas of research I'd like to get involved with when I finish my degree. I'm very much interested in neuropsychology and biological psychology and how the mechanics in the body lead to these cognitive processes many of us take for granted. It's just a shame that university courses in psychology have to be so wide spread in their material as I would have loved a more focused course on the two subjects I mentioned.