WEBVTT - Cultivate a memory

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to actively cultivate a memory. We are

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<v Speaker 1>always making memories, but some memories are stronger than others.

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<v Speaker 1>You can bring a memory to mind more frequently by

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<v Speaker 1>consciously choosing something to associate with it so you can

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<v Speaker 1>think about it later whenever you want. I find the

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<v Speaker 1>topic of memory fascinating. Certain smells in particular can become

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<v Speaker 1>associated with particular times. One scent of honeysuckle and I

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<v Speaker 1>think about a honeysuckle perfume that I had in high school.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you remember the cologne your grandfather wore and you

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<v Speaker 1>think of him whenever you smell it, Or the smell

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<v Speaker 1>of cinnamon brings to mind your grandmother's house. Music can

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<v Speaker 1>bring up memories, too, reaching certain spots in our brains

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<v Speaker 1>quickly where we remember exactly what we associate the music with.

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<v Speaker 1>That one song will forever conjure up your first love,

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<v Speaker 1>even if that relationship is long in the past. Memories

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<v Speaker 1>make life feel more rich and full. So here's a

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<v Speaker 1>tip for making memories even stronger. Whenever you are going

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<v Speaker 1>into something that you know you are going to want

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<v Speaker 1>to remember, Try to build that association. Choose a scent

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<v Speaker 1>or a song to associate with the time, make sure

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<v Speaker 1>you experience that scent or song frequently. Then for the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of your life, if you wish to conjure up

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<v Speaker 1>that memory, you will have a shortcut to the emotional experience. So,

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<v Speaker 1>for instance, in May, I traveled to Indiana to give

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<v Speaker 1>the commencement address at my old high school. I have

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<v Speaker 1>lots of strong memories from my time at this residential

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<v Speaker 1>school in Muncy, Indiana, but it's not like I go

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<v Speaker 1>back frequently now. May was also when Ed Sheeran's sung

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<v Speaker 1>Castle on the Hill was rising up the charts and

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<v Speaker 1>was being played on the radio all the time. It

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<v Speaker 1>turns out to be a song full of nostalgia for

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<v Speaker 1>going back to the place you are from. So I

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<v Speaker 1>made a point of listening to that song as I

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<v Speaker 1>was traveling to Indiana and walking around those haunts that

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<v Speaker 1>had been a part of my life two decades prior.

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<v Speaker 1>That meant I linked that song with that place, and

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<v Speaker 1>now whenever I hear those opening chords, I am back

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<v Speaker 1>there and reliving that time and linking myself to my

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<v Speaker 1>teenage self, even though that song didn't exist when I

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<v Speaker 1>was a teenager because ed Shearon was a child back

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<v Speaker 1>then when I was actually in high school. Same with

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<v Speaker 1>this wonderful orange shampoo smell. My family traveled to Yosemite

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<v Speaker 1>National Park and all around California in the summer of

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<v Speaker 1>twenty nineteen. It was a wonderful trip full of memories,

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<v Speaker 1>and our hotel in the park had this orange scented soap.

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<v Speaker 1>I made sure to take several of the small travel

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<v Speaker 1>sizes home, and sure enough, when I pull it out,

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<v Speaker 1>I can picture the cliffs and the gorgeous landscape and

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<v Speaker 1>the towering trees of Mariposa Grove. As the world slowly

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<v Speaker 1>emerges from the pandemic, many of us are traveling for

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<v Speaker 1>the first time in a while, so we if you

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<v Speaker 1>have an upcoming trip that you would really like to remember,

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<v Speaker 1>see if you can consciously form a memory while you

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<v Speaker 1>were on the trip. Choose a song that you would

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<v Speaker 1>like to associate with the time, or choose a scent

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<v Speaker 1>that you can associate with it. Make sure you experience

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<v Speaker 1>that song or scent as frequently as possible as you

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<v Speaker 1>are making the memory. Then make sure you have some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of artifact so you can call the memory back up.

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<v Speaker 1>The song idea is pretty obvious. You just play the song,

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<v Speaker 1>but sense are going to require something else, So buy

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<v Speaker 1>a souvenir candle or soaps, or maybe start using a

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<v Speaker 1>new perfume or cologne that you can then associate with

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<v Speaker 1>the trip whenever you sprits it in the future. When

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<v Speaker 1>you do this, you will be able to access your

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<v Speaker 1>happy memories more quickly. Obviously, you will have memories of

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<v Speaker 1>your trip or your adventure regardless of what you do,

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<v Speaker 1>but this is one way to make them stick even more,

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<v Speaker 1>and in our busy brains, that can be a good thing. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>in the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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