As we age, every little memory lapse seems to be a sign that we’re losing are minds. We walk into a room and can’t remember why, and think uh-oh, it’s begun. But such minor, short-term memory lapses are common. Sure, if they become frequent, they could signal oncoming dementia. But in the meantime, it’s important to note that the brain is a mysterious place, prone to frequent lapses and imperfections that don’t always mean something terrible is happening.
In fact, our memories are much worse than we realize, even when it comes to things we think we remember perfectly well.
There are oodles of ways in which our brains fabricate false memories, starting with the moment we see or hear something to the first time we recall the event to its ultimate solidification in long-term storage. Among the errors that scientists have proven to be common in all humans:
Misperception: We simply get it wrong in the first place.
Confirmation bias: We take in what fits our worldview and ignore other input.
Making things up: When the mind has only highlights of an event, it’ll fill in the gaps.
I wrote about all this yesterday on Medium, and if I recall correctly, those are just some of the ways we create imperfect and even wildly flawed memories, which can help explain why two people witness the same thing and recall it differently, setting the stage for lots of arguments.
A new set of experiments triggered my interest in all this:
Participants were given a challenging task: remember sets of unrelated letters, in specific locations, with some of the letters being reversed (appearing backward). Within a second, they’d typically get it right. But within two seconds, their recollections often degraded into false memories, even if they’d had it right in that first second.
The errors were more common when a letter was reversed. People would initially remember it correctly, but within 2 seconds they’d get it wrong.
They remembered the world as they expect it to be.
Do you do this? Yes, you do. We all do, other studies have shown. Scary, huh?
BRIEFLY
Short takes on new research with links to the studies
Is Moderate Drinking Good for You?
Sorry, folks, but moderate drinking of beer, wine or hard liquor is not “good for you.” Old studies that linked a daily drink or two to better health were flawed in many ways, including that they often counted people who had stopped drinking for health reasons as non-drinkers. (I wrote about this in 2019.) Now yet another analysis of the body of research finds “the supposed health benefits of drinking shrink dramatically, and become non-statistically significant” under accurate analysis, reports The New York Times.
Poor Sleep Linked to Asthma Risk
It's known that insufficient or poor-quality sleep degrades the immune system and can even turn it against you, raising the risk for many chronic diseases. A new study adds one more concern to the list: "Asthma risk is increased for individuals with poor sleep patterns, compounding higher genetic susceptibility.”
IN-DEPTH
My most recent article on Medium
How to Battle Imposter Syndrome
Ever feel you don’t deserve your success or aren’t qualified for your job or a task you’re given, even if others deem you capable and deserving. It’s called imposter syndrome, and it generates anxiety, promotes both perfectionism and procrastination, and can lead to utter exhaustion. Imposterism can be rooted in an overall sense of inadequacy, or it can pop up in specific circumstances, particularly as one advances in their field or shifts gears in life. To manage it, experts suggest should talk about it—but only to the right people—and maybe get inside your head to figure out what’s really going on.
BIT OF WISDOM
“Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounding yourself with assholes.”
— William Gibson
Until next week, wishing you health and happiness.
—Rob
Thank you for your support. If you find this newsletter useful, go ahead and forward it to someone who might benefit. You can find more of my health and wellness writing on Medium. Also find me on YouTube, Instagram, Mastodon, Twitter, Linkedin. And if you want to live a long, healthy, happy life, check out my book, Make Sleep Your Superpower.