People are more likely to remember surprising or unusual experiences, study says

BOSTON - Our brains are constantly bombarded with information and experiences, but why do we store some of these memories but discard most?

Researchers at Yale University developed a computational model and a series of experiments in which people were asked if they remembered specific images shown in rapid succession.  

They found that people tend to remember things that are not easy to explain. That is, if an experience is predictable and not surprising, it might quickly be ignored.  

They gave an example of seeing a fire hydrant in a remote, natural environment. You wouldn't expect to see that. It wouldn't immediately make sense to you, and therefore, that experience may be more memorable than seeing a tree or a rock out in nature.

In:
• Health
• Yale University

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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