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We often hear that emotions, especially negative ones, negatively affect memory. But is this really the case? A study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, says no. Its authors explain that emotions play a key role in the ability to remember contextual details.
A research team, affiliated in particular with Duke University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, highlighted this phenomenon by conducting three interrelated studies. Researchers used behavioral and attentional analyzes as well as brain imaging data to understand the extent to which our emotions influence our ability to remember certain details.
They started from the observation that, when we live an experience rich in emotions such as a birthday or a car accident, we remember more of the main event (the opening of gifts, the collision between the two cars, etc. .) only additional details. However, researchers have found that it is entirely possible to remember the circumstances in which the scene took place thanks to our emotions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging has revealed that brain regions involved in processing emotions and those dedicated to memory can enter into dialogue with each other, and therefore help us consolidate contextual memories.
There is strong evidence that our emotions can help us remember contextual information. They allow us to maintain or forget certain memories less quickly. In other words, emotional material resists forgetting better than more neutral material. But our emotions can have a negative influence on our memory. Several scientific works have proven, for example, that stress can trigger a decline in memory performance.
However, the conclusions of this study are encouraging. They could allow psychologists to design innovative approaches to help the elderly or those suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTSD) to regain control of their memory, by putting their emotions to good use. “The history of interactions between emotions and memory is still being written,” said Florin Dolcos, co-author of the study, in a press release. “We have demonstrated the conditions under which it is possible to prevent the forgetting of contextual details, which not only challenges the status quo at a theoretical level, but also offers practical insights into how to control, channel and exploit information. “energy of emotions to promote memorization”.