You will recall pleasant information more accurately and more quickly, which is sometimes called the ‘Pollyanna Principle.’’ Whether you are trying to remember what you have perceived, what someone has said, a decision you have made, or other types of information, if it is more pleasant to remember, you will remember better.
While psychologists have tested this principle in the laboratory, such as by asking subjects to remember words that are pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant, or asking them to remember colors, fruits, vegetables, or other items that are more or less pleasant, the principle makes sense in everyday life. For example, would you not rather recall something you enjoy that gives you good feelings than something you do not like and makes you feel bad? In fact, there is a whole body of research that indicates that people will repress or suppress memories of experiences that are unpleasant, such as memories of early childhood abuse.
You will more accurately recall neutral information associated with pleasant information or a pleasant context, or as psychologists have come to this conclusion by making comparisons in the lab, such as whether subjects better remember commercials or the brands featured in them when they see them before or after violent and nonviolent films. Repeatedly, psychologists have found significantly better recall when nonviolent, and presumably more pleasant, films are shown.
The finding makes perfect sense and you can see examples of how this works in everyday life. For example, when you are experiencing or seeing something pleasant, you will feel more comfortable and relaxed, which will contribute to your remembering something you read, hear, or perceive in this relaxed state. By contrast, if you are experiencing something unpleasant, you will feel more stress and tension; the experience may even interfere with your ability to concentrate, such as by distracting your attention, so you encode and remember less.
Assessing Your Memory Skills
Test #1: The following test is designed for you to subjectively reflect on your memory abilities now. Make an extra copy of this test, so you can answer it again after you have spent a month working on improving your memory. That way, you can monitor any improvement. The first time you take the test, answer each question as honestly as you can and total up your score. This will help you notice the areas where you especially need to work on memory improvement, such as learning to pay better attention, increasing your ability to encode information, and improving your ability to retrieve names, faces, places, and dates. Rate your memory on a scale of 1 (you forget most or all of the time) to 5 (you typically remember very well), and then obtain an average for each category (total up the ratings in that category and divide by the number in that category).
My Overall Memory_______
My Memory for Everyday People, Places, and Things (average of my scores for the categories below)
People’s names
People’s faces
Where I put things (e.g., keys, eyeglasses)
Performing household chores
Directions to places
Personal dates (i.e., birthdays, anniversaries)
My Memory for Numbers
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Phone numbers I have just looked up
Phone numbers I use frequently
Bank account numbers
Computer passwords
Combinations for locks and safes
My Memory for Information
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Words
What someone has told me in a conversation
What I have learned in a classroom lecture
Reading a novel
Reading a nonfiction book
Reading an article
Reading the newspaper
My Memory for Activities
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Appointments
Performing household chores
Shopping for items at a store
Speaking in public
A meeting at work
My Memory for Events
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Earlier today
Yesterday
Last week
Last month
6 months to a year ago
1–5 years ago
6–10 years ago
When I was a child
After you finish rating each particular item, find the average for remembering that type of information. Then, look at your ratings to assess how well you are doing in different areas. Commonly, you will find you remember best those things that are most important to you, since you naturally pay more attention in those areas.
Where are you especially weak? Those are areas ripe for improvement. Use this test as a guide to help you determine where you especially want to increase your memory. Later, after you have worked on developing your memory over the next month (or however long you take to do this), retest yourself without looking at how you rated yourself before. Afterwards, compare your before-and-after ratings.
Generally, you will find you improve, though your subjective ratings can be affected by other factors, such as how you are feeling when you take the test. In any case, your second set of scores can help you decide what you want to work on next if you want to continue to improve your memory. In fact, if you are into charts and graphs, you can plot your ratings every month to chart your continued progress.
While psychologists have tested this principle in the laboratory, such as by asking subjects to remember words that are pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant, or asking them to remember colors, fruits, vegetables, or other items that are more or less pleasant, the principle makes sense in everyday life. For example, would you not rather recall something you enjoy that gives you good feelings than something you do not like and makes you feel bad? In fact, there is a whole body of research that indicates that people will repress or suppress memories of experiences that are unpleasant, such as memories of early childhood abuse.
You will more accurately recall neutral information associated with pleasant information or a pleasant context, or as psychologists have come to this conclusion by making comparisons in the lab, such as whether subjects better remember commercials or the brands featured in them when they see them before or after violent and nonviolent films. Repeatedly, psychologists have found significantly better recall when nonviolent, and presumably more pleasant, films are shown.
The finding makes perfect sense and you can see examples of how this works in everyday life. For example, when you are experiencing or seeing something pleasant, you will feel more comfortable and relaxed, which will contribute to your remembering something you read, hear, or perceive in this relaxed state. By contrast, if you are experiencing something unpleasant, you will feel more stress and tension; the experience may even interfere with your ability to concentrate, such as by distracting your attention, so you encode and remember less.
Assessing Your Memory Skills
Test #1: The following test is designed for you to subjectively reflect on your memory abilities now. Make an extra copy of this test, so you can answer it again after you have spent a month working on improving your memory. That way, you can monitor any improvement. The first time you take the test, answer each question as honestly as you can and total up your score. This will help you notice the areas where you especially need to work on memory improvement, such as learning to pay better attention, increasing your ability to encode information, and improving your ability to retrieve names, faces, places, and dates. Rate your memory on a scale of 1 (you forget most or all of the time) to 5 (you typically remember very well), and then obtain an average for each category (total up the ratings in that category and divide by the number in that category).
My Overall Memory_______
My Memory for Everyday People, Places, and Things (average of my scores for the categories below)
People’s names
People’s faces
Where I put things (e.g., keys, eyeglasses)
Performing household chores
Directions to places
Personal dates (i.e., birthdays, anniversaries)
My Memory for Numbers
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Phone numbers I have just looked up
Phone numbers I use frequently
Bank account numbers
Computer passwords
Combinations for locks and safes
My Memory for Information
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Words
What someone has told me in a conversation
What I have learned in a classroom lecture
Reading a novel
Reading a nonfiction book
Reading an article
Reading the newspaper
My Memory for Activities
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Appointments
Performing household chores
Shopping for items at a store
Speaking in public
A meeting at work
My Memory for Events
(average of my scores for the categories below)
Earlier today
Yesterday
Last week
Last month
6 months to a year ago
1–5 years ago
6–10 years ago
When I was a child
After you finish rating each particular item, find the average for remembering that type of information. Then, look at your ratings to assess how well you are doing in different areas. Commonly, you will find you remember best those things that are most important to you, since you naturally pay more attention in those areas.
Where are you especially weak? Those are areas ripe for improvement. Use this test as a guide to help you determine where you especially want to increase your memory. Later, after you have worked on developing your memory over the next month (or however long you take to do this), retest yourself without looking at how you rated yourself before. Afterwards, compare your before-and-after ratings.
Generally, you will find you improve, though your subjective ratings can be affected by other factors, such as how you are feeling when you take the test. In any case, your second set of scores can help you decide what you want to work on next if you want to continue to improve your memory. In fact, if you are into charts and graphs, you can plot your ratings every month to chart your continued progress.
