Do you think Facebook posts such as cat videos and pictures of dinners are some fun? Then you should know that even unimportant updates can sharpen your brain.
The study shows that sharing experiences one has had, everyday or special, make them remember better. Sharing makes the memory of the event work so that it gets more memory slots attached to it.
Even if you decide to post something on Facebook, do something about the memory. There is an added importance, even if the incident itself is perhaps unimportant, she explains.
The researchers behind the study, conducted in 2016 at Cornell University in New York, took Internet technology as a useful means of retrieving and sharing personal memories in the digital age:
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The researchers wanted, among other things, to investigate the mnemonic consequence of posting personal memories online - that is, how the use of social media can act as an effective way of memorizing things:
66 students at the university participated in the study, and wrote a diary every day for a week. After each day they noted down all the events throughout the day that went beyond their everyday routines. The students also answered questions about whether they had posted anything about these events in social media.
At the end of the week, the students were asked how many of the events they could remember through an unannounced memory test, the same test they took a week later.
The researchers found that if the students had posted information about the event in social media, they remembered it better both at the end of the week and the week after.
Not surprising
Social media expert, Astrid Valen-Utvik, believes that this is a controversial topic in that some claim the opposite; that we get worse memory of using social media:
- That's because digital communication is considered more volatile than analog communication. But I think that the reason why researchers have now come to the conclusion that we remember better what has happened in our lives with the help of social media can be due to several things, says Valen-Utvik.
She explains:
- I think it may be that our brain is being trained to consume ever-increasing amounts of information, at an ever-increasing rate. And so it is not surprising if it becomes more and more advanced and can remember things better as it is trained.
She believes that it can also mean that when we experience something that we find worth sharing with our friends, we make a post, pick up a picture or video and write a text. It reinforces our brain just what has happened, and so can be easier to remember, says Valen-Utvik.
- In addition, Facebook and other social channels have nice features that actually remind us of things that have happened, based on what we have shared on this day for X number of years back in time. And then we are probably more people flipping a little backward on our Your own profile from time to time - whether it's on Facebook, Instagram or anything else, the expert continues.
She thinks that our social media profiles become like a kind of book of books or history books, with selected details of our memories represented.
- In addition to this, social media is also just that - social, which means that we can get comments and other feedback from our friends and acquaintances, which of course also helps to reinforce the memory of our brain, claims Valen-Utvik.
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Recipient is important
Which social media platform has the greatest impact on memory, Østby believes it varies with the use. On Facebook, for example, many people use the platform to share more and more personal utterances as well as a lot of personal events.
For my own part, I notice that Instagram works more as a personal book than Facebook, others may have other social media that work for them. When we share experiences in social media, we always have a look at who the audience is, and this also governs what we share and in what way, she says and adds:.
"Writing a diary is less controlled by this, of course, and so can reflect more of what is really important to remember, including what is too private to share on social media. The fact that one targets a particular recipient can make the memory have a special meaning and therefore be better remembered. There are many good diary apps where you can post a picture and some text, where you can take care of the memories without the hassle of sharing and getting likes.
This is also about what you want to remember, she believes.
"The study of the American scientists has therefore not shown any effect on the ability to remember things in general but says something about how to handle the memories, in this case in social media, contributes to the memory's further fate, and that is encouraging.
Negative effect
But then it is also the case that social media seems to have a negative effect on attention and memory, emphasizes Østby.
- Some studies show a connection between much use of the smartphone and reduced attention function, says the Norwegian researcher.
Although the studies may not show what is the causal link - for example, those who have poorer awareness management may find it harder to leave the phone in their purse or on the table - they point to a concern that we are too absorbed of social media. The problem for the memory part, after all, is that we get far too many impressions, it becomes a porridge that own and others' experiences flowing over the screen, Østby explains further.
If one manages to limit the sharing to a small network and uses social media to share memories, this is probably a good support for the memory, according to the researcher.
- But often you use social media for completely different things: share funny pictures of kittens, link to newspaper articles and opinions about both one and the other. When Facebook gives me a look back on something I shared five years ago, it is as often something meaningless that was only relevant there and then, as a genuine memory that matters to me, she adds.
Good health most important
Anders Fjell, professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo, has previously told Vi.no that the most important thing to maintain good memory at high age is to stay active and healthy. Everything that is good for the heart is good for the brain.
Physical and mental health is important for the brain and memory, even in good adult age. Physical activity is good and everybody is leaving. It is also stimulating to use your head to learn something new, gain new insights and new impulses, she emphasizes.
Østby highlights some examples:
It can be to learn a new dance, a new language, check out music you have not been interested in before
Diet and sleep are also important for memory.
One can train on memory techniques such as the itinerary method, also called the loci method or memory mass, where visual images are placed that what is to be remembered along a familiar route that one mentally follows to recall later.
- Naturally, we forget a lot
But most importantly, it is to recognize what the memory has done for us through life, and be humble towards the natural effect of forgetfulness, says Østby.
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- Often I get the impression that many people require a lot of memory, and a new performance pressure has arisen in our society. It is natural that we forget a lot, it is the rule rather than the exception.
And that we need to help with diaries, calendars, alarms, and simply sharing memories with each other, is a natural extension of memory. My husband sometimes remembers more of what I have experienced during my vacation than I remember, for example.
Where the ability to make things stick to memory goes down with age, wisdom increases, emphasizes Østby. All the knowledge that has been gathered through a long life contributes to new knowledge having a rich memory network to land in, and that one has better conditions for seeing what is important and what is less important, according to the researcher.
- That one forgets where one has put the keys is annoying, but after all usually insignificant in the big context, she concludes.