Spring Break Essentials

It's that time ladies! For some of you all, the time has already come but for some of us, spring break is on its way. Regardless, there are some things that are essential to a totally chic spring break. 

How Does Memorization Work?

     Whether it's material for a quiz, test, a grocery list or your friends birthday, your brain is constantly working to memorize things- short term or long term. The question is however, how does memorization work? Well theres many facets in the element of memorization, and that's what we'll be going over in this blog post. Welcome to the brain.

     In essence, the more educated you are about how the memorization portions of you brain work, the easier it will be to get understanding on how to improve it.

     Your memories start from the day you came out of the womb, (that may be pretty far back!). However all jokes aside, anything from the scent of your mothers perfume to the odor of dirty gym socks, you have the capability to remember it. The small things and the big things play a large role in who you are today and how you see the world today, and is a memory in its entirety.

     So how does all of this work? Well, your brain cells work together in one massive network to process the retrieved information. When one cell sends impulses and signals to another, the connection between them continues to increase.

     Step one is encoding. Your memory only works if you do, and better said a memory is only made if you are paying attention. Following that step, you have perception. Your memory is perceived from the senses and the hippocampus receives the info and works with the frontal cortex to decide if the information is even worth remembering ( your junk filter, in essence). That filtered memory is then saved into your sensory memory. Up next, storage. The memory that was filtered earlier is now stored in either long term or short memory. You can then just repeat things. The more you practice something the easier it is to remember.

     Now the fun part. After the whole process, you can now recall the information. Although it's usually unconsciously and it is dependent on how effectively it was remembered. On the negative end of the spectrum, is forgetting. Often times there are cases of retrieval failure that can be caused by distractions and overall failure to retain the information.

     All in all, the brain is an amazing machine and God's handiwork astonishes me time after time.

stay blessed,

rebecca.

Deja Vu?

     The term Deja Vu is French for "Already seen". Hence, the sensation of Deja Vu. You're chatting with a friend about something at brunch, but it feels as if you've already been in the same setting, having the same conversation. So what causes it? Well, we don't know that yet. However there are approximately 40 or so theories that give logical explanation for the sensation.  In this post, we'll be going over some of the examples that'll really get you thinking!

     //Mix up//

This theory proposes that that our sensory system is what causes deja vu. The experiment that went about this theory is called Grant et al. The study shows that it is easier to feel as if you were in that situation before based on how the stimuli in a certain environment can spark a memory- real or not real. This goes on to trigger our subconscious mind to recall a time when we have heard or seen the same thing. The fault in this theory is that it does not give explanation as to why deja vu is experienced when the person doesn't recognize the situation at hand. 

//Hologram Theory- Totally Futuristic// 

The hologram theory proposes that the memories that we have are formed in three dimensional images. Herman Son suggests that the entire formation of the 3D image can become a "memory" of sort. Thus being said, if an element of your environment like, sound or smell reminds you of a previous moment, the whole memory can be created in your mind as a hologram, therefore making you feel like you are reliving it. What's it all mean? Why don't we recognize the memory after the deja vu sensation has passed? Because the stimulus that triggered the creation of the hologram memory is then hidden from our consciousness. 

//Precognitive dreaming//

Precognitive dreaming is when a dream predicts something a situation. A prime example would be the people who have dreamt about the Titanic sinking. This proposes that humans have a subconscious sixth sense. What's it all mean?The explanation behind this is that you have a precognitive recollection that allows you to recognize the situation. Since dreaming doesn't happen 24/7 (unless you're into that), you can't consciously recognize that stimulus and feel that it is familiar. 

//Divided Attention//

Alright, back to the subconscious. The divided attention theory proposes that deja vu is ruled because of a subliminal recognition of the object or topic in the sensation of deja vu. This means that our subconscious mind recalls the stimulus, but our conscious mind does not. This theory was put to the test by using students. The students were shown a few images of different ares and they were asked to identify the location they were familiar with. The kicker is that prior to the experiment, the students were shown pictures of some locations they have never visited, suggesting that the images didn't last for enough time for their conscience to register them. The study shows that students were much more prone to recognize the locations that they hadn't visited (shown to subconscious) than the locations that they hadn't visited (conscious). What's it all mean? Deja vu could be our realization of a message we have received subconsciously. This is assumed to correlate to media. 

//Amygdala//

The amygdala is a minuscule region of our brain. The amygdala is located in each cerebral hemisphere. The amygdala is very involved in our experience with emotions and feelings- the most common one being anger or fear. For example; if you have a crippling fear of clowns, your amygdala will process your response upon the event of seeing one. The amygdala acts temporarily and disorients our brain, causing panic attacks and things of the sort. What's it all mean? This theory suggests that deja vu is ruled by and is a product of a temporary brain malfunction. If you're placed in a situation that is identical to one you have been in before, your amygdala cold produce a panic induced response. Thus being said, you are put in a memory state of confusion, or better said- your deja vu.

The next time you experience deja vu, think about some of these theories! You could be amazed at what the cause of your experience might be. 

stay blessed,

rebecca.