Cultivate a memory

What to do now to recall an adventure later

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to actively cultivate a memory. We are
always making memories, but some memories are stronger than others.

(00:27):
You can bring a memory to mind more frequently by
consciously choosing something to associate with it so you can
think about it later whenever you want. I find the
topic of memory fascinating. Certain smells in particular can become
associated with particular times. One scent of honeysuckle and I

(00:51):
think about a honeysuckle perfume that I had in high school.
Maybe you remember the cologne your grandfather wore and you
think of him whenever you smell it, Or the smell
of cinnamon brings to mind your grandmother's house. Music can
bring up memories, too, reaching certain spots in our brains

(01:12):
quickly where we remember exactly what we associate the music with.
That one song will forever conjure up your first love,
even if that relationship is long in the past. Memories
make life feel more rich and full. So here's a

(01:32):
tip for making memories even stronger. Whenever you are going
into something that you know you are going to want
to remember, Try to build that association. Choose a scent
or a song to associate with the time, make sure
you experience that scent or song frequently. Then for the

(01:57):
rest of your life, if you wish to conjure up
that memory, you will have a shortcut to the emotional experience. So,
for instance, in May, I traveled to Indiana to give
the commencement address at my old high school. I have
lots of strong memories from my time at this residential

(02:17):
school in Muncy, Indiana, but it's not like I go
back frequently now. May was also when Ed Sheeran's sung
Castle on the Hill was rising up the charts and
was being played on the radio all the time. It
turns out to be a song full of nostalgia for
going back to the place you are from. So I

(02:39):
made a point of listening to that song as I
was traveling to Indiana and walking around those haunts that
had been a part of my life two decades prior.
That meant I linked that song with that place, and
now whenever I hear those opening chords, I am back
there and reliving that time and linking myself to my

(03:04):
teenage self, even though that song didn't exist when I
was a teenager because ed Shearon was a child back
then when I was actually in high school. Same with
this wonderful orange shampoo smell. My family traveled to Yosemite
National Park and all around California in the summer of

(03:25):
twenty nineteen. It was a wonderful trip full of memories,
and our hotel in the park had this orange scented soap.
I made sure to take several of the small travel
sizes home, and sure enough, when I pull it out,
I can picture the cliffs and the gorgeous landscape and

(03:47):
the towering trees of Mariposa Grove. As the world slowly
emerges from the pandemic, many of us are traveling for
the first time in a while, so we if you
have an upcoming trip that you would really like to remember,
see if you can consciously form a memory while you

(04:09):
were on the trip. Choose a song that you would
like to associate with the time, or choose a scent
that you can associate with it. Make sure you experience
that song or scent as frequently as possible as you
are making the memory. Then make sure you have some

(04:29):
sort of artifact so you can call the memory back up.
The song idea is pretty obvious. You just play the song,
but sense are going to require something else, So buy
a souvenir candle or soaps, or maybe start using a
new perfume or cologne that you can then associate with

(04:50):
the trip whenever you sprits it in the future. When
you do this, you will be able to access your
happy memories more quickly. Obviously, you will have memories of
your trip or your adventure regardless of what you do,
but this is one way to make them stick even more,

(05:11):
and in our busy brains, that can be a good thing. Indeed,
in the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(05:34):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
that's b E the number four then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

(05:56):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.