October 27, 2024 • 4 mins
Millennials are facing more memory problems – but it's not exactly clear why.
The Boston Globe reports those in their 30s and 40s are becoming more forgetful.
Brain Research New Zealand co-director Cliff Abraham says there are many factors impacting memory - including anxiety, technology and Covid-19.
He says it's getting harder to remember, with more information and distractions coming in than ever before.
Abraham told Tim Beveridge there are some simple ways to help you remember.
He says paying attention and repeating information is key.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from Newstalk Z'B. Follow this
and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Now.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Memory LISS is becoming more common for those in their
thirties and forties. That's according to new research published in
the Boston Globe newspaper. It's not clear exactly what's causing
the trend, but it's thought too much technology is to blame.
And joining me now is Brain Research New Zealand co
director Professor Cliff Abraham.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You surprised about this anything that's surprised you about this research?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Well, I had a chance to have a look at
some of the numbers that they're referring to in the
Boston Globe has published in the New York Times, and
there seems to have been a really strong uptick in
people reporting problems with memory since the pandemic, since the
beginning of the pandemic. So I think there's certainly some
(01:02):
strong element of the pandemic and the brain fog that
people have been getting from it that's been contributing to
this trend.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We notice anything in here in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I can't say that there's been researched to determine this.
I do know that long COVID is a real thing.
For example, in New Zealand, there's plenty of people out
there who have long COVID and have problems with concentration
and memory and brain fog as it's commonly called. So
there's no doubt that it is happening in New Zealand.
(01:37):
But we wouldn't be able to put statistics on it yet.
I don't think from.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
A life perspective, look at the way things have changed
with social media and technology and we can bombard ourselves.
It must be with so much more information than we
would have done in years gone by. Do you think
that there is a technology link to.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
This potentially, I mean this particular trend, we'll just started
off with the pandemic, so I think possibly some of
the more critical factors might be things like anxiety and
stress that if people were feeling even in the well,
we're not really post pandemic, but you know, the threat's
gone down somewhat, So I think there's issues there because
(02:16):
those anxiety, stress hormones and so forth can impair memory,
and people I think are probably as a result of
COVID more sensitive to memory gaps. That they might have
just you know, played off or ignored in recent times.
Whether technology really comes into it, you know, it may do,
(02:36):
but it wouldn't explain this sudden increase at the time
of the pandemic.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
As the research more just about observing the increase in
memory loss for people in their thirties and forties. You
mentioned that it coincides with sort of the pandemic and things,
but as have they drawn any conclusions about the causes
in the research.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
No, this was just based on census data and just
reporting trends of people reporting their own symptoms. So the
causes really are aren't clear. So we see this in
students coming from university too, that there's more anxiety and stress,
it seems, and so that seems to be impacting their
performance in those early years.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
What are the next logical states by on the sort
of research, Well.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
The next steps I think are really to try to
parse out the actual causes, and I think just the
kind of survey trends sort of things doesn't give us
a lot of information. So working through actual health data
for the individuals that are being you know, surveyed, I
(03:46):
think would would sort of would be a starting point.
But yeah, I think there's so many, so many reasons
why memory problems might occur, including drugs or medications or
sleep disorders and things like this. So there's there's a
lot of potential causative factors, and that there will be
individual there will be specific to individuals.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Anything in particularly we can do as individuals to improve
our memories.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, of course there's there's lots of lots of people
can do. And I think it goes to thinking about
how memories are formed in the first place, and that
is often to pay attention to information coming in and
not writting your attention back back and forth. And perhaps
this is where so many uh, information sources come to you.
(04:35):
And also just repeating repeating that information. I tell my
students repetition is the mother of memory, and I think
that goes a long way to helping.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Excellent. Hey, Cliff, I really appreciate your time this morning.
Thanks so much. That's Cliff Abraham. He is the New
Zealand Co Director serves the co Director of Brain Research.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
For more from News Talks, it'd be listen live on
air or online and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on Iart Radio
You're listening to a podcast from Newstalk Z'B. Follow this
and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Now.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Memory LISS is becoming more common for those in their
thirties and forties. That's according to new research published in
the Boston Globe newspaper. It's not clear exactly what's causing
the trend, but it's thought too much technology is to blame.
And joining me now is Brain Research New Zealand co
director Professor Cliff Abraham.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You surprised about this anything that's surprised you about this research?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Well, I had a chance to have a look at
some of the numbers that they're referring to in the
Boston Globe has published in the New York Times, and
there seems to have been a really strong uptick in
people reporting problems with memory since the pandemic, since the
beginning of the pandemic. So I think there's certainly some
(01:02):
strong element of the pandemic and the brain fog that
people have been getting from it that's been contributing to
this trend.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We notice anything in here in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I can't say that there's been researched to determine this.
I do know that long COVID is a real thing.
For example, in New Zealand, there's plenty of people out
there who have long COVID and have problems with concentration
and memory and brain fog as it's commonly called. So
there's no doubt that it is happening in New Zealand.
(01:37):
But we wouldn't be able to put statistics on it yet.
I don't think from.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
A life perspective, look at the way things have changed
with social media and technology and we can bombard ourselves.
It must be with so much more information than we
would have done in years gone by. Do you think
that there is a technology link to.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
This potentially, I mean this particular trend, we'll just started
off with the pandemic, so I think possibly some of
the more critical factors might be things like anxiety and
stress that if people were feeling even in the well,
we're not really post pandemic, but you know, the threat's
gone down somewhat, So I think there's issues there because
(02:16):
those anxiety, stress hormones and so forth can impair memory,
and people I think are probably as a result of
COVID more sensitive to memory gaps. That they might have
just you know, played off or ignored in recent times.
Whether technology really comes into it, you know, it may do,
(02:36):
but it wouldn't explain this sudden increase at the time
of the pandemic.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
As the research more just about observing the increase in
memory loss for people in their thirties and forties. You
mentioned that it coincides with sort of the pandemic and things,
but as have they drawn any conclusions about the causes
in the research.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
No, this was just based on census data and just
reporting trends of people reporting their own symptoms. So the
causes really are aren't clear. So we see this in
students coming from university too, that there's more anxiety and stress,
it seems, and so that seems to be impacting their
performance in those early years.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
What are the next logical states by on the sort
of research, Well.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
The next steps I think are really to try to
parse out the actual causes, and I think just the
kind of survey trends sort of things doesn't give us
a lot of information. So working through actual health data
for the individuals that are being you know, surveyed, I
(03:46):
think would would sort of would be a starting point.
But yeah, I think there's so many, so many reasons
why memory problems might occur, including drugs or medications or
sleep disorders and things like this. So there's there's a
lot of potential causative factors, and that there will be
individual there will be specific to individuals.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Anything in particularly we can do as individuals to improve
our memories.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, of course there's there's lots of lots of people
can do. And I think it goes to thinking about
how memories are formed in the first place, and that
is often to pay attention to information coming in and
not writting your attention back back and forth. And perhaps
this is where so many uh, information sources come to you.
(04:35):
And also just repeating repeating that information. I tell my
students repetition is the mother of memory, and I think
that goes a long way to helping.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Excellent. Hey, Cliff, I really appreciate your time this morning.
Thanks so much. That's Cliff Abraham. He is the New
Zealand Co Director serves the co Director of Brain Research.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
For more from News Talks, it'd be listen live on
air or online and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on Iart Radio
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