Many people are concerned that with the digital age, comes more memory loss. After all, we have so many tools now to help us remember, our brains don’t need to exercise memory. There is now a rise of memory athletes, those who can retain hundreds of numbers in seconds. Is this a new way of preventing memory loss?

Preventing Memory Loss in the Digital Age

 

Memory athletes compete to remember the most in the shortest time. They remember things like card sequences, names, faces, and dates of historical events.

They memorize these categories within seconds.

These athletes are causing people to wonder about memory in a world of digital databases. If we rely on them too much, are we losing our ability to remember?

All About the Brain

 

The brain is malleable. A study in 2000 showed that the hippocampus was larger in London cab drivers than in the wider public. The hippocampus is the area of the brain that plays a significant role in memory. The drivers may have a bigger hippocampus due to having to learn and remember the quickest routes through the city.

Scientists believe that the internet hasn’t been an integral part of our lives long enough to understand its long term effect on people’s brains fully.

Is Memory Training Helpful?

 

There is proof that memory training is beneficial and strengthens neural pathways.

It is possible that the more we rely on machines, the less efficient our memory processes become. It is believed that memory needs to be exercised just like our muscles.

Though we aren’t necessarily losing our memories as much as we are having a hard time finding them, this is because we don’t try to, or exercise, our brains as much.

Memories are also malleable because it helps us make sense of the world. So we can easily create false memories.

Not all is lost, though. We can strengthen our brains and memories with regular exercise just like with our muscles. You can do this by becoming a memory athlete yourself.

Read more about these memory athletes here.