Most of us have probably experienced alcohol disrupting our memory system. But according to a new book, neuroscientist Dean Burnett explains that in very specific circumstances, alcohol can actually help with your recall. It’s called state-specific-recall and it works like this: Substances like alcohol or drugs alter your brain activity and brings you to a certain neurological state. And you’re actually better able to remember something if you’re in the same “state” that you were in when the memory was acquired.
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So if, let’s say, you were told some juicy gossip after a couple of glasses of wine, your brain would encode your slightly intoxicated state as part of the memory, and would be better able to retrieve this memory if you were to have another couple of classes of wine on a different day.
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This is not an endorsement of drinking heavily to improve memory, as over-drinking oftentimes cancels out any minor memory advantages. State-specific-recall, can, however, can be applied to caffeine. So if you’re fueled by caffeine while studying or working on a project, similarly stimulating yourself with caffeine could help with remembering some of the more important details from your notes.
Curated article from:
The Guardian
