WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:02.799 You're on the bus an hour from home in bumper 2 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:06.080 to bumper traffic, creeping forward a few inches at a time, 3 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:12.000 someone's kids are screaming, and suddenly your back is too. Luckily, 4 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:15.839 Panadal extra film coated tablets are boosted by caffeine and 5 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:18.120 they get to work in as little as ten minutes 6 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:22.359 for powerful relief. That's more than just paracetamol. That's one 7 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:26.359 for Pana doll speed based on absorption data contains paracetamol. 8 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:27.399 Always read the label or. 9 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.839 Leaflet get value. 10 00:00:30.879 --> 00:00:33.200 You can't argue with fat Tesco with their amazing club 11 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:36.280 card prices. Serve up something special with our finest meal 12 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.960 deal for two starring one main, two sides and dessert 13 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:42.200 for only sixteen euro like succulent Board be approved Rush 14 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:45.600 Angustriploin steaks with pepper, corn butter or delicious Firous Chicken 15 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:48.840 Parmeshama served with creamy potato gratam and her mix of 16 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:53.240 rainbow root vegetables. And enjoy Goozillionaire or Soldier caramel cheesecake. 17 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:56.280 Can't argue with that shop in store or online. 18 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:56.719 Tesco. 19 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:00.000 Every little helps available the most stores, prices very in express. 20 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:03.280 Oh hey, it's still the fountain at the mall that's 21 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:05.760 never on. Ali Ward, you are here for part two 22 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:09.879 of Nemnology Memory. Please tell me that you started with 23 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.480 part one. Even if you don't remember it, start with 24 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:16.200 part one because this is the thrilling conclusion with Professor 25 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:18.920 Researcher and the director of UC Irvine Center for the 26 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:21.120 Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. 27 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:22.120 He's amazing. 28 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:24.120 We're going to get into it, but first this is 29 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:27.400 a wall twell episode of questions from patrons, and if 30 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:29.599 you'd like to submit some time you two can join 31 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:32.359 for as low as a buck a month, and upper 32 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:35.480 tiers can submit audio questions. Thank you also to everyone 33 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:39.040 getting ologies merch from ologiesmarch dot com, and thanks to 34 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:42.439 everyone leaving us for reviews, which boosts the show so much. 35 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:44.879 And each week I remember to read them all and 36 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:47.680 I pick a just written one such as this one 37 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:51.400 from Sulasang, who wrote this podcast saved my life. It's 38 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:54.200 like spending an hour at the most amazing library ever 39 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:56.560 where you find exactly the right book that you didn't 40 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:59.200 know that you needed. Sula Sang and everyone who's ever 41 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:02.120 left review I've read it and thank you. Welcome to 42 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:04.640 the library. Okay, on to part two, where we answer 43 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:08.800 your questions about how to remember names and faces, what 44 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:13.800 causes Alzheimer's, photographic memory, short term versus long term memory, 45 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:18.240 how to prevent dementia, cannabis and memory, goldfish brains, and 46 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:21.080 why smelling sunscreen makes you want to cry sometimes with 47 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:46.360 neurobiologists professor researcher and memory expert neemnologist doctor Michael Yassa, Oh, 48 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:48.439 I have questions from listeners. Can I ask you one million? 49 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:52.879 Of course you're the best, Okay, So this question was 50 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:56.240 on the minds of patrons Esopardy, Elsa T. Who's a 51 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:59.719 first time question asker? And face name forgetter Diana's to 52 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:04.680 Red Nick Dean, LILLYB. And audio question submitter Summer wanted 53 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:05.159 to know. 54 00:03:05.639 --> 00:03:08.719 Hi, Ellie. Some are from New Zealand here. What I 55 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:13.240 find really interesting is that I remember faces, but sometimes 56 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:17.080 I can't remember where I've seen that person before, even 57 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:21.439 in what country I've seen them. And I'm wondering why 58 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:26.759 we're so good at recognizing faces and remembering knowing a face, 59 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:30.159 but knowing none of the details around that face. 60 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:35.759 What is it about remembering certain aspects of a person 61 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:38.919 or a connection. I know some people have total face 62 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:43.120 blindness yep, as well, either evolutionarily or how do we 63 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:46.120 look at faces where we blank and say who is that? 64 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:51.439 Yeah, that's a fantastic question, Summer. So you've already mentioned 65 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:55.240 one version of this, which is face blindness, right, And 66 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:57.400 I'm not saying that Summer has face blindness at all. 67 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.400 In fact, I think all of us struggle with faces 68 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:00.960 to an extent. 69 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:05.759 So this condition is medically known as prosopagnasha. And a 70 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:09.080 twenty twenty three study in the journal Cortex titled what 71 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:13.719 is the Prevalence of Developmental Prosopagnasia An empirical assessment of 72 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:20.120 different diagnostic cutoffs, found that developmental prosopygnasha, meaning it's lifelong 73 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:22.759 and not caused by injury to the brain, is more 74 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:26.639 common than previously thought, and that it lies on a 75 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:29.600 spectrum of severity. And I was doing some reading on 76 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:31.079 it from people who have it to try to figure 77 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:33.480 out what it feels like. And I've read it described 78 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:36.800 as seeing a tree and then trying to pick out 79 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:41.040 that specific tree in a forest, or telling the difference 80 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:43.800 between two different cows in a field. And if this 81 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:46.759 sounds like you, and if you watch movies wondering, wait 82 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:48.920 is that the same guy or is that a different guy. 83 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:52.399 You may be one in thirty three people who have it, 84 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:56.199 which is cool but also awful, So don't let anyone 85 00:04:56.199 --> 00:04:56.959 make you feel too. 86 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:57.399 Bad about it. 87 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.199 Now, faces are a very important piece of information. When 88 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.319 you look at somebody's face, you can tell by their 89 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:04.839 expression whether they're a threat to you, whether they're a 90 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:07.800 friendly person. You can choose to approach or avoid. You 91 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:10.639 can base a lot of your decision making based on 92 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:13.759 a face. If somebody's face has an expression of fear 93 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:16.360 and they're looking behind you, they might warn you to 94 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:20.439 something and you might react accordingly. So we evolved, and 95 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:23.639 not just our species. Many social species have evolved to 96 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:30.040 try to always interpret faces and facial expressions. But recognizing 97 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.920 a face and remembering whether a face belongs to a 98 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:36.000 certain name is this thing that happened much later in evolution. 99 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:39.040 And I don't think our brains are just very good 100 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:41.800 at it yet. I think we're developing that, but we're 101 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:44.319 still sort of half baked when it comes to connecting 102 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:46.759 names and faces. So number one complaints that I hear 103 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:50.240 from everybody is I remember faces, but I could never 104 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:52.439 connect them with when did I see this person? What 105 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:54.680 their name is, or sometimes I'll hear the name and 106 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:56.519 I can't recall the face, but then I connect when 107 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:01.240 I see it. So face names associations that they tend 108 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.199 to be the most challenging for us humans. But one 109 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:06.120 of the reasons why faces are really important is because 110 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:09.959 of this evolutionary survival sort of significance. Things around fear, 111 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:12.199 things around pleasure, reward, all of that. We get our 112 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:14.000 cues A lot of our cues from faces. 113 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:18.240 I learned a trick once on a film set where 114 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:21.680 one guy I worked with. It was Adam Savage from MythBusters. 115 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:23.680 He knew everyone's name on this huge set we were on. 116 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:24.639 It's like, how do you do that? 117 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:26.079 He was like, Okay, have this. 118 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:28.720 Trick where that woman's name is Dorothy and I think 119 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:31.120 of Dorothy from the Wizard of Us. That person's name 120 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:33.240 is Ben, and I have a brother in law named Ben, 121 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:35.040 And so as soon as they said their name, you 122 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:35.800 had to pay attention. 123 00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:37.000 But then you made a connection. 124 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:40.319 Absolutely. You know, there's lots of folks out there who 125 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:42.480 try to train you on how to make your memory 126 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:45.920 system better, and many of them you might know. Their 127 00:06:46.040 --> 00:06:48.839 memory champions out there. They're sort of memory grand masters 128 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:52.360 out there, and they've learned tricks that have been used 129 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:55.079 by the Greeks for a long time, ancient Greeks, I 130 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:58.000 should say, like mind palaces and so on, And all 131 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:02.160 of these methods are based on forming strong personal associations. 132 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:04.759 So if you have never seen The Wizard of Oz, 133 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:07.319 it wouldn't have made sense to you, Yes, associated, right, 134 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:09.399 But if you've seen it and you can picture the 135 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:12.800 dorith the in the exact movie, right, that makes it 136 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:15.879 much more personal. So they tell you to try to 137 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:19.000 be able to remember people's faces and names, make that 138 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:22.800 something that is emotionally significant to you. But making those 139 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:26.199 connections and making them as vivid as possible seems to 140 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:27.720 be the trick that works for most people. 141 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:30.560 So I hope that helps Clay Trover, Sarah mcckeacher, and 142 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:33.319 Eric Kidzeg, Jennifer Frow at least we will Hannah Nowen, 143 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:36.319 Jacqueline Church, Nomes, lorm Or, Bennett van der Bosch, Eleen 144 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:40.000 lands Ken, Termine Lists, Zulika Pevic, Kelli Fon, Kelly Larson, 145 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:42.720 Carleen dh and Connor. They them, all of whom say 146 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:46.399 that they are garbage at remembering names. It's okay obviously, 147 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:49.160 based on that list, you are not alone, and patron 148 00:07:49.240 --> 00:07:52.079 Jackie G said that a tour guide shared this tip 149 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:55.680 with them that you introduce yourself first. Then you can 150 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:59.000 actually listen when other people say their names instead of 151 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:03.199 mentally rehearsing your own introduction, and Jackie G says it's 152 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:06.199 amazing and has worked wonders for me, So perhaps that'll 153 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:09.319 make some of you less anxious. Oh, speaking of anxiety 154 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:12.560 and trauma and emotions in general, many many of you 155 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:16.720 Little miss particular Camilli Gimino, Susan Singley, Mattie Cake's Popsicle Emperor, 156 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:20.720 Joshua Tals and Sarah Argueta, Rowan Tree, Michelle Gregos, Ali Brown, 157 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:23.639 Patricia Evans, Katie Hammont and Rachel Persco wanted to know 158 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:27.839 how emotions affect pretension, and Nick Allston asked what's the 159 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:33.080 chemistry behind emotional memories? And also patron Ryan asked, Hi. 160 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.960 This is Ryan from Los Angeles. I was wondering if 161 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:39.000 you could speak to the effects that negative emotions such 162 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:42.399 as shame and guilt have on working memory and long 163 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:43.120 term memory. 164 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:48.120 Are people who experience heightened emotions, either with anxiety or 165 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:52.600 pretty happy people, do they keep those memories more because 166 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:54.039 there is more of an emotional connection. 167 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:58.399 There's no doubt that having an emotional connection strengthens the 168 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:02.679 way that you store on memory. So certainly, if you 169 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:06.080 tend to have much more emotional reactions to things or 170 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:09.039 the experience that you're having are much more emotional, they 171 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:11.919 will have the capacity to be stored for longer, to 172 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.879 be able to influence your actions and decisions for longer. 173 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:17.639 And again there's the evolutionary significance for that. Of course, 174 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.360 more emotional things may be a little bit more involved 175 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:26.320 in your survival. Right that said, emotion doesn't always improve 176 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:30.200 your ability to store things. It colors the experience, for sure, 177 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.440 but it also kind of zooms in on certain aspects 178 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:36.279 of the experience and zooms out from others. So you 179 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:39.919 may recall certain details incredibly well, but there may be 180 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:42.080 other things that are kind of lost on you because 181 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:46.480 of the emotionality. So it creates this competition between some 182 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:49.559 central features of the experience, and then a lot of 183 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:52.879 the peripheral stuff doesn't win out in that competition, and 184 00:09:52.919 --> 00:09:53.799 that can be forgotten. 185 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.960 Many of you wondered about what is normal given our 186 00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:00.679 very chaotic and technological world, such as pologist from the 187 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:04.679 Carobology episode, Meghan lynch Amelia Frank, Jinny Bateman, Katie brick Klein, 188 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:08.879 Margaret and Nuskum Randapana Regular k Waspsologist, Eric are Eaton, 189 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.000 Rachel m Meghan Walker, Tiny Nature and first time question 190 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:15.519 askers Julie Williams, Chelsea Loves Chocolate, Theo Klin, Tara Villanova, 191 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:20.279 and some folks who are distracted by Struus don ewelld 192 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:23.679 Holly Coole, Eric Masterson, and Helen Langale. I wonder if 193 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:26.840 our lack of presence, because we were distracted a lot 194 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:30.840 with our phones and internet stuff, I wonder if that 195 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:35.320 lack of presence is making our memories a little bit 196 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:36.279 more Swiss cheesy. 197 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.000 I like this Swiss cheesy. It's a good way to 198 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:41.720 think about it. Certainly, every time that I've lifted up 199 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:43.840 my phone and tried to record a video of my 200 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:46.240 daughter playing basketball, as opposed to put the phone down 201 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.320 and actually watch her play, I feel like I have 202 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:51.519 Swiss cheese in my brain. Yeah, so one percent. I 203 00:10:51.600 --> 00:10:56.559 think that you're right when we replace actually experiencing something 204 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:00.799 in its full glory, three dimensional and all of that 205 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:03.519 with some two D version of what we're recording on 206 00:11:03.559 --> 00:11:07.159 the phone, or being distracted by looking at something at 207 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:10.600 the same time and not being fully aware, fully cognizant 208 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:13.519 of what's happening. Of course, it's going to change how 209 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:16.480 these memories are stored and how they're represented, and I 210 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:18.960 do worry about that. I think that, you know, there's 211 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.399 no doubt that there's value to having the electronics and 212 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:23.480 having I mean, look at us, we have our devices 213 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:25.960 are out all the time, and that's just the nature 214 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:27.240 of what we have to do to be able to 215 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.320 deal with the situations around us and the rapidly kind 216 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:33.399 of evolving world and all of the stimulation. But I 217 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:38.799 think it misses something about experiencing something fully and truly 218 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:41.840 with all of its three dimension at four dimensionality, i 219 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:44.720 should say, and with all the emotional contexts that come 220 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:46.639 with it, right, and to be able to have that 221 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:50.559 genuinely you have to be there. So immersion, I think 222 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:52.679 is really key for good memory storage. 223 00:11:52.919 --> 00:11:55.960 So those four dimensions are like a three D object 224 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:59.279 on the x, y, and Z axis, but with the 225 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:02.679 added dimension of time. It's interesting because we're experiencing it 226 00:12:02.759 --> 00:12:05.600 less in the moment, but we're able to recall it 227 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:08.879 more With that video footage, and it's such a weird 228 00:12:08.919 --> 00:12:11.039 trade off that it's like, well, I can remember it 229 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:13.639 later as long as I don't fully experience it now. 230 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:16.200 It is a weird trade off because what you remember 231 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:19.000 based on the video is this weird sort of you know, 232 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:22.399 two dimensional version on a screen, and you're never able 233 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:25.519 to piece back being there fully in three dimensions. But 234 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.879 if that was your experience, that's what you piece back, 235 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:30.600 So it comes back with all of the pleasure, the 236 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:34.120 sensory experience that came with it, as opposed to if 237 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:37.080 you're looking at the screen, that's your version of that reality, 238 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:39.639 and that's what comes back. It's just that two dimensional, 239 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:42.480 more impoverished version. Yeah, and that, to me, I think 240 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:43.600 is the big concern. 241 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:46.519 That's funny because I my husband and I got married 242 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:48.519 three years ago and a good friend of mine was like, 243 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:51.440 let's watch the video on your first anniversary. My husband 244 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:54.039 and I can't watch the video. What we remember from 245 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:56.440 it is what we remember, and both of us have 246 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:58.320 like the ick when it comes to watching it. 247 00:12:58.360 --> 00:12:58.919 For some reason. 248 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:01.240 We're like, I don't want to remember it any differently 249 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:04.600 because we are kind of always, like you said, reconstructing 250 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:06.519 those memories based on input right. 251 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:08.399 And you don't want to change the version that you 252 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.440 have in your brain, especially if that version was beautiful 253 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:13.559 and something that you want to hold on to. Now. 254 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:15.440 I have the anytime anybody tells me to watch a 255 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:17.879 video of myself, So I just can't do it. Categorically, 256 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:19.720 that's just something I don't want to do. But I 257 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:22.840 can totally resonate with what you're saying. If you've experienced 258 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:25.799 it fully being there, being able to piece it back 259 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:28.159 together in this two dimensional version, and looking at it 260 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:30.399 on a video, it's just never the same and it 261 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:34.279 kind of alters your actual recollection of that experience. 262 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:38.440 And a University of Chicago study recently recruited users of 263 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:42.000 this app called One Second every Day to hop it 264 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:46.559 an MRI and look at quick videos of strangers lives 265 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:50.919 versus one second clips that they had recorded themselves using 266 00:13:50.919 --> 00:13:54.080 that app, and this study found that different parts of 267 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:56.840 the brain light up if it was their own memory 268 00:13:57.159 --> 00:14:01.519 versus just intaking a stranger's video. And other neurobiologists at 269 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:05.080 the University of Toronto are exploring how video diaries like 270 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.759 that could help Alzheimer's patients connect more to their own past, 271 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:12.600 so to patrons Antifa and Rosalie de Laforet, who recall 272 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:15.919 more when prompted by photos and videos. That's some real 273 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:18.279 science right there for you everyone else. That app was 274 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:20.600 called one Second every Day If you want to log 275 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:22.879 little chunks of your whole life. Now, what if you 276 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:27.559 don't need physical memorabilia or pixels to jog your memory? 277 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:31.000 What if your mind is a camera? So Alia Myers 278 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:34.440 and Erica Perryandre, among others, had questions about that. 279 00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:35.039 Well. 280 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:38.320 On the topic of photographic memory, many people asked. Mariah 281 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:40.039 Kay said, this question has been on my mind for 282 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:43.720 so long, all caps. I know there's photographic memory, but 283 00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:46.240 are there different versions or levels of it? Read Berry 284 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:48.720 wants to know what actually is photographic memory? This question 285 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:54.440 was us why Cyberman's, Erica Harry Andre, Rachel McGill Arla Gramlkin, 286 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.639 what is photographic memory exactly? 287 00:14:56.840 --> 00:15:01.480 Okay, fellas, this is mythbust in time. Okay, ready, yeah, 288 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:08.919 photographic memory does not exist. Hell, and it's so uncomfortable 289 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:12.399 to hear that. Well, So photographic memory is or what 290 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.519 we sometimes referred to as idetic memory. And you know 291 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:18.240 the way that it's defined, it's that you have this 292 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:22.000 perfect recall, perfect recollection of something that you've seen potentially 293 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.240 only once, right, and if it's in the context of 294 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:27.879 say reading, you're talking about like a remembering page numbers and 295 00:15:27.960 --> 00:15:31.759 all of that. The evidence that that exists historically is 296 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:34.679 slim to none. We've been led to there's maybe a 297 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:38.480 very small handful of cases of savant syndrome where somebody 298 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:42.919 could legitimately make the claim for true photographic memory, But 299 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:46.399 aside from that, there's no real evidence that photographic memory 300 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:52.039 to this sense exists. That said, there's really really really 301 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:55.399 good memory, and this really really really bad memory. There's 302 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:58.759 a whole spectrum and a lot of times when we're 303 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:02.000 thinking about photographic memory, it's not exactly that, but it's close. 304 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:05.399 It's really good memory where you're memorizing where things are 305 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:07.720 laid out on the page, where you may be memorizing 306 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.679 things like you know, the page numbers and where the 307 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:13.279 figures were, where the pictures were, all that kind of stuff, 308 00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:16.360 to the extent that we can tell whether or not 309 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:18.480 you know that that's actually helpful in a day to 310 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:20.879 day learning, it's not clear whether or not that actually 311 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:21.240 helps you. 312 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:24.360 And well, a true photographic memory is at this point 313 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:27.840 just flim flam. There is such a thing as idetic memory, 314 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:30.919 where someone can see a visual and look at it 315 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:34.159 or sometimes hear something, and once it's removed, they can 316 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:37.519 recall it in great detail. It's as if visually they're 317 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:40.679 still looking at it, but it's not one hundred percent faithful, 318 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:44.200 and it does not last a lifetime. Your brain's like, 319 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:47.240 I don't really need that fancy of a feature. 320 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:50.000 Because remember, what we're trying to learn and remember on 321 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:53.240 a day to day basis is not necessarily the details 322 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:55.600 of the exact words on a page or the exact 323 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:59.120 details of what happened. It's the gist. It's sort of 324 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:02.840 the overall is kind of abstracted. It's whatever knowledge it 325 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:05.119 can abstract from that experience and be able to use 326 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:07.519 it to guide my future decision making. So, if you 327 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:09.359 start to think about memory a little bit differently, that 328 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:11.240 it's not really about the past, it's all about the future, 329 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.519 this is no longer uncomfortable. It's okay to sit with 330 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:17.920 that that there's no photographic memory because there's no rationale, 331 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:19.599 there's no reason for it to exists. 332 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:23.519 So though we debunked learning styles in part one, what 333 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:27.000 about people who don't retain things as well visually but 334 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:30.799 through sound. Hey, first time question askers Kimberly, Kirston Cornell, 335 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:33.319 as well as E Jordan Sewn, Thomas k Matthew Walcher, 336 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:36.319 Lisa Gorman, Maria Kay, Josh Walden, sonny As, Vanessa Adams, 337 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:40.039 Daniel van Voren, Jennifer Frow, Debda Science, Alicia Clarkson and 338 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:44.960 Sam wanted to know about sound and memory, including song lyrics. Well, 339 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:47.920 I know because we have obviously a lot of listeners 340 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:54.480 who learn by auditory memory. Are some people better at 341 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:56.680 recalling things that they hear it? 342 00:17:56.920 --> 00:17:59.640 Yes? Okay, yes, so, and this takes us back to 343 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:01.519 a COmON station about learning styles. So I want to 344 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:04.079 be very clear, right, it is a myth. Learning styles 345 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:06.720 is a myth. There is no one way to be 346 00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:08.200 able to get to your brain, and it could be 347 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:12.200 visual for you or auditory for you. That said, people 348 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:16.319 do have individual differences in how much they learn visually 349 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:19.519 and how much they learn through their ears auditorily, and 350 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:22.400 how much they learn through other senses. But at the 351 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:24.599 end of the day, the most effective learning is the 352 00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:28.839 one that combines the most senses. Ah So as a species, 353 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:33.319 we are far more visual as a species collectively. If 354 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:36.319 you look at rodents, for example, rats, they have a 355 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:38.920 much stronger sense of smell than we ever would be 356 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:41.960 motivated by. Right, that does not diminish our sense of smell, 357 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:44.039 does not diminish our other senses, But it says that 358 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:47.640 primarily because we are not nocturnal, we operate usually in daylight, 359 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:50.440 and the sunlight visual information seems to be really important 360 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:53.960 to us. We tend to kind of prioritize that we 361 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:56.720 have a lot more real estate in our brain dedicated 362 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:59.640 to processing of the visual sense and to other senses. 363 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:02.200 So when somebody says, well, I learned better if I 364 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:04.480 hear it, I'll say I'm willing to bet that you'd 365 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:06.319 learn better if you heard it and saw it at 366 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.920 the same time. Ah, So don't just rely on oh, 367 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.079 I just want to hear it if you can. So, 368 00:19:12.119 --> 00:19:14.400 for example, if you're reading and you say I'm just 369 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.519 not a reader, we'll try reading out loud so you're 370 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:19.359 also hearing it and listening to yourself say the words, 371 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:22.200 and you'll notice that that is a bimodal kind of learning, 372 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:23.920 and things will stick a lot more. 373 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:26.559 We did a reading episode recently and there was a 374 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:29.440 big question as to whether or not audiobooks were reading, 375 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:31.880 whether they count, whether you can count them in your book. 376 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:32.720 Oh, I sure hope they count. 377 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:34.519 Yeah. 378 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:38.839 So we talked about this in the recent Anagnosology episode 379 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:41.119 all about Reading, and I'll just give you an excerpt 380 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:43.440 from that with doctor Adrian Johns, who is a professor 381 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:46.400 and a historian and who authored the book The Science 382 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:46.960 of Reading. 383 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:50.960 It's actually interesting that e books or actually audiobooks more 384 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:53.519 the idea that you could, as it well, read a 385 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:56.640 novel or something by having it read to you by machine. 386 00:19:57.119 --> 00:19:59.400 There are schemes for those going back as far as 387 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:02.440 the pretty much the origin of recording, so the late 388 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:06.240 nineteen thirty twentieth century, there were visionary schemes for having 389 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:10.759 things like, oh, you know, vending machines where you could 390 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:12.519 put your money in and there would be a speaker, 391 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:16.039 you know, like a speaking trumpet that would speak a book. 392 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:19.160 It's not like there's something that is that radically new 393 00:20:19.160 --> 00:20:21.799 about audiobooks per se. Having said that, I mean my 394 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:24.440 own sense of it kind of crudely is that I 395 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:26.880 think with audiobooks it's really that you're having something read 396 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:29.880 to you rather than reading. And part of that has 397 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:32.960 to do with the control of the pace of it, 398 00:20:33.160 --> 00:20:37.640 you know, so you can slow down recordings, you can 399 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:40.559 pause it, and all of that kind of thing. But 400 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:42.160 it's not the same as doing what mon does with 401 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:45.279