Glory of memory

OM BANIYA

Memory is usually thought of as the ability to recollect past events and to bring learned facts and ideas back to mind. Memory allows us to learn from the past, to understand the present, and to plan for the future. All cognitive abilities depend on memory to one degree or another. Memory is important because if there was no memory, there would be no learning. We will forget things soon after learning them. We will not be able to recall any experiences either. Memory is the central executive function of the brain. The brain is safely secured in our head. It should not be confused with the mind. The brain is physical; the mind is functional. The brain is the hardware, the mind is the software. There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the brain. The adult brain weighs about 1.4 kg and is only 2 per cent of the body weight. But brain requires 20-25 per cent of the total oxygen intake.

Human brain is more powerful than the world’s super computer. In fact, a huge memory power lies within human brain. That’s why a human brain can store more than 28,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 bytes of information and experiences (feelings). But, such a huge memory power is not being utilized properly. According to cognitive neuroscientists, human beings are able to use on average 5-10 per cent of their brain. Scientists believe that Albert Einstein, even was just able to utilize only 10 per cent of his brain. It proves that brain possesses unlimited memory power. But human beings are not making the most of it. There is always a great possibility of fully capitalizing memory.

Memory is an integral part of all of our daily activities. Everything we do requires either a memory of something we learned before or learning something new. Dr. Daniel L. Schacter, a Harvard professor of psychology and an expert on memory, states that subjectivity in the process of remembering involves at least three important aspects: Memories are mental constructs fashioned in accordance with the present needs, desires, and influences of the individual; memories are often accompanied by emotions and feelings; and the actual act of remembering something usually involves a conscious awareness of the memory. Many researchers have long observed that the more traumatic an experience, the more likely an individual is to recall it later. Neuroscientists point to numerous studies that indicate that memory involves a set of encoded neural connections that can occur in the brain. The more powerful the images accompanying an event, the more the brain is stimulated and likely to make it a part of long-term memory.