My photo app showed several pictures I took years ago as “memories,” and a wave of nostalgia washed over me. They were pictures related to my beloved cat who passed away 20 years ago at the age of 17, and they are some of the most precious and unforgettable memories in my life.
Shortly after birth, she developed a tumor deep in her left ear and recovered after three surgeries. Perhaps because I talked to her constantly during her recovery period, she began to understand words quite well. She loved watching the sparrows that gathered on the window sill, and she was sensitive to sounds, even imitating their calls.
When I started playing the piano, she would jump onto the keys and play along. After a while, she began playing the piano every morning at 4:00am to wake me up. She would play the piano in the living room, then come to my bedroom where I was sleeping, and announce the dawn in my ear. If I didn’t wake up, she would go back to the piano, play again, and come back to the bedroom, repeating until I woke up.
Until a few weeks before her passing, when her legs and back weakened due to old age and she could no longer jump onto the piano bench, she played the piano for me every morning. Her delicate touch and the phrases she played were like Chopin’s compositions, evoking nostalgia, filling my heart with comfort, and providing healing.
These factual episodes are truly precious and irreplaceable memories for me, and will never be tarnished.
On the other hand, while photo apps certainly kindly remind me of memories, they seem to be excessively intrusive in digitally managing even my memories and recollections, making me wonder if there will come a day when they can no longer be stored internally.
While often dismissed as mere “nostalgia bias” or an “obsession with nostalgia,” everyone has likely heard people say things like “things were better back then,” “it was more fun in the past,” or “things were done properly in the old days,” and has encountered situations where the past is romanticized.
When comparing the past and the present, nostalgic individuals romanticize the past because their own memories and biases influence their perspective. While objective evaluation directly assesses the subject, nostalgic buffers connect the subject to their own personal memories, evaluating the entirety of their memories of past experiences related to that subject.
In fact, it may be inherently difficult to evaluate something purely and without subjective bias, but personal backgrounds can get involved, and memories can be subjectively altered, leading to an idealized and overly positive evaluation of the subject from the past, beyond realistic objectivity or the normal range.
Here are some reasons why memories are altered and idealized:
1. Sensory heightened sensitivity in childhood:
Generally, the excitement of the unknown is sharper in youth, and the fresh and delicate sensations of a time full of the unknown remain as memories.
2. Only good memories remain:
Positive emotions, such as things being good or interesting, are more likely to stick in memory, and non-positive memories are filtered out.
3. Desire to affirm the past:
Due to the intention or tendency to want to view the entire past positively, regardless of the memory or object being evaluated, for the purpose of self-affirmation or escapism, one connects the object to the affirmation of the entire past rather than focusing on the object itself.
While some people feel that they have difficulty learning new things as they age, others may be surprised by the vividness and clarity of old stories that older people remember.
This is because the mechanism of memory has stages, and strongly remembered information tends to be retained for a long time. First, information is stored in the hippocampus of the limbic system as “short-term memory,” and then the brain selects what it deems important or impactful and stores it in the cerebral cortex as “long-term memory.”
Short-term memories are prone to fading, and it is believed that repeated input and strong impact are necessary for them to be transferred to long-term memory. By repeatedly re-imprinting the information before it disappears from short-term memory, it becomes firmly established as long-term memory.
The reason why new memories become harder to retain with age is not only because of the lack of repeated input, but also because the information transmission capacity of nerve cells that transmit new events to the brain declines with age.
On the other hand, the memories of the past held by the elderly are often things they have recalled many times throughout their long lives, or things they have repeatedly experienced in areas they are good at or enjoy, and are therefore often firmly established as long-term memories. Moreover, these memories are often accompanied by the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, and taste—and are sometimes recalled based on clues such as familiar sights, sounds, and smells, which contributes to the detail of their stories about the past.
As people age, their social roles and interactions tend to decrease, and retirement further exacerbates this, making it difficult for the elderly to feel a sense of belonging or purpose. Therefore, the frequent recounting of past glories, special memories, or social achievements by the elderly is not simply a matter of nostalgia; it is also a means of confirming their self-worth and evidence of their existence, finding reassurance, and maintaining their sense of self, in line with a deep-seated desire for recognition of their existence.
Moreover, memories that are firmly established as long-term memories are often linked to emotions, impulses, and passions, and it is said that these topics tend to naturally surface and be talked about repeatedly.
On the other hand, as we age, the nerve cells in the hippocampus, the gateway to memory where new memories are temporarily stored, tend to atrophy, gradually declining the function of short-term memory. Therefore, it becomes difficult to input and organize new memories such as recent conversations, information, and events, leading to repetition of the same topics.
As dementia progresses, retrograde memory impairment occurs, and new memories are gradually lost, eventually leaving only memories from the distant past. This naturally causes consciousness to gravitate towards vivid memories of the past, and people tend to repeatedly talk about those times.
Memory is classified into several categories, as listed below. Memory can be classified in various ways, such as psychologically, clinically, or based on its content, depending on its retention period or content.
* Episodic memory (memory of events):
Episodic memory is a type of declarative memory, a memory of events experienced by an individual. It includes not only the content of what happened, but also accompanying information such as the date, time, and place, as well as emotions related to the experience. It is a memory of the situation, including the context.
e.g., Yesterday’s meal menu, today’s plans, travel experiences, etc.
* Semantic memory (memory of knowledge):
Semantic memory is also a type of declarative memory, but it deals with matters not directly related to yourself. It is a structured memory consisting of facts, meanings, and concepts, and corresponds to what is generally called knowledge. It enables the generalization and application of experience.
e.g., Word meanings, history, rules, etc.
* Procedural memory (memory learned through physical action):
Procedural memory is classified as non-declarative memory and is deeply ingrained in the body.
e.g., How to play a musical instrument, how to ride a bicycle, etc.
* Priming:
Priming is also classified as non-declarative memory and is the influence of a preceding stimulus on a subsequent stimulus.
* Remote memory (past episodes):
Remote memory, immediate memory, and recent memory are classified by the length of retention period. Remote memory refers to memories that are recalled for a very long period, such as recollections.
e.g., memories from childhood or adolescence, etc.
The ability to form new memories in episodic memory is most susceptible to the effects of aging. It is a natural phenomenon that older adults may remember past events well but have difficulty recalling recent events. However, it seems that this decline in memory can be prevented or slowed down by consciously practicing the following habitually.
1. Aerobic exercise (walking, etc.):
Prevents hippocampal atrophy.
2. New experiences (travel, hobbies, conversation):
Stimulates the hippocampus and promotes neurogenesis.
3. Intake of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil):
Maintains the flexibility of brain cells.
4. Ensure 7 hours or more of sleep:
Memory consolidation occurs during sleep.
5. Store memories externally through diaries or notes:
Even just writing and organizing activates the brain.
While reminiscing about the past often carries a somewhat negative connotation rather than a poetic one, recent research suggests that it can slow the progression of dementia, relieve stress, and promote feelings of happiness. In fact, in dementia care settings, reminiscence therapy, which involves using photographs and music that evoke memories of the past, is being implemented to improve symptoms.
Generally, a lack of intellectual curiosity is said to lead to decreased brain activity and emotional fluctuations, as well as premature aging. Therefore, when encouraging dementia patients to reflect on the past, stimulating their intellectual curiosity through triggers that recall the past helps to cultivate a reminiscence-oriented brain. Things that encourage reminiscence include not only photographs and music, but also walks to places of remembrance and communication through casual conversations with old friends that combine reminiscence.
Reminiscence therapy (proposed by psychiatrist Robert Butler in the 1960s) is considered a helpful therapy for preventing dementia and is believed to be effective in maintaining brain health in the following ways:
1. Brain Activation:
Recalling the past activates areas such as the hippocampus, which is involved in memory formation and storage, and the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in higher-order functions such as thinking, judgment, and planning. This enhances overall brain function and is expected to have a preventative effect against dementia.
2. Increased Dopamine Secretion:
Feeling nostalgia stimulates the secretion of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with emotions such as joy, pleasure, and motivation, from the central nervous system in the midbrain of the brainstem. This plays a crucial role in brain activation and mental stability.
3. Stress Relief:
Reflecting on the past and sharing memories can help process past traumas and negative emotions, relieving stress. Furthermore, nostalgic memories bring a sense of security and happiness, contributing to mental stability.
4. Improved Self-Esteem:
Reaffirming past successes and one’s own value can increase self-esteem, providing confidence, purpose, and contributing to a positive outlook on life.
The expression “Young people these days…” can be found in ancient Greek texts, but when older people reminisce about the past, for some reason, past memories tend to shine brightly, making them feel that the past was better than the present. This phenomenon of romanticizing the past without any rational explanation is known as “nostalgia correction,” and it is believed to have a clear mechanism that is essential for maintaining brain and mental health and living a fulfilling life.
The following are some of the main cognitive biases that contribute to the idealization of the past:
1. The Pollyanna Effect:
The brain is wired to prioritize the selection, processing, and recognition of pleasant, positive information over unpleasant memories, and tends to retain positive memories longer—a tendency known as the Pollyanna effect.
e.g.: Difficult or boring daily life fades into oblivion with the passage of time, while only enjoyable events and moving moments remain in the mind, resulting in the illusion that the past was entirely beautiful.
2. Fading Affect Bias:
Fading affect bias is a phenomenon where, even if the memory itself remains, the negative emotions felt at the time rapidly fade away. It’s a kind of automatic mental cleaning and self-defense mechanism the brain employs to prevent prolonged emotional damage. It intensifies the tendency known as Rosie retrospection, where the past is perceived as better than it actually was.
e.g.: When recalling factual memories such as extremely tough practice or frequent scolding, only the pain and negative emotions of the time disappear, leaving only positive emotions such as it being a good experience or that it was fun and rewarding.
3. Reminiscence Bump:
It has been proven that even in their 50s and 60s, people recall memories from their late teens and early twenties most vividly. This phenomenon, where memories of youth are recalled more clearly and positively than those from other periods of life, is called the reminiscence bump. This is a period when identity is formed, and many things are experienced for the first time in one’s life, such as first love, independence, and encountering works of art that deeply move one’s heart. Because of this, these experiences are very likely to be remembered and retained, making it easier to feel that those times were special in later life.
The mechanism of nostalgia correction, which positively modifies the past, is not a negative thing like escapism or attachment to the past. Rather, it is the ability to beautify the past that allows us to overcome past failures and painful experiences, maintain self-esteem, and move forward in life.
In any case, when we look back on the past, even painful events are almost always bathed in a soft light and remain as beautified memories. This is not merely a matter of sentimentality or emotion, but may be deeply connected to brain structure, survival strategies, culture, language, and evolutionary history, actively rewriting memories to make it easier to live in the present.
In fact, events that are far away tend to become abstract in memory, and while details are lost, emotions and meanings tend to be emphasized. The beautification of memories may also play a role in self-understanding, recovery, and maintaining coherence as a natural force that integrates life.
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato believed that the concepts of recollection, idea, and the immortality of the soul are in a cyclical trinity, and that the ability to understand love, justice, and beauty stems from the fact that the soul knew them in its subconscious even before it was born. Recollection (anamnesis) is the concept that the soul’s spontaneous intellectual activity leads to the recollection and re-understanding of ideas, and that through the pursuit of knowledge such as learning and study, one can arrive at universal and eternal ideas, ultimately leading to proof of the immortality of the human soul.
While the English word “memory” may encompass both meanings, in Japanese, “omoide” (思い出) and “kioku” (記憶) are used differently depending on their context, and perhaps even conceptually. “Omoide” refers to past experiences or memories that remain in one’s mind, and can also mean the triggers or materials that evoke memories or reminiscences, making it closer to “reminiscence.” On the other hand, “kioku” refers to past experiences or memories that have been processed as knowledge or information, making it closer to “recollection.”
In fact, “omoide” is easily adaptable to written expression and is often used in literary techniques to express emotions about past events. “Kioku,” on the other hand, refers to remembering various elements such as past events, gains, lessons learned, and emotions, simply as information without emotional attachment, often treated as having no difference between subjective and objective impressions.
Incidentally, among the later works of Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), a novelist who was active from the late Meiji period to the early Taisho period, there is a work called “Omoidasu koto nado” (1910, Things to Remember) which depicts his serious illness in Shuzenji (修善寺) .
After being discharged from the hospital where he had been hospitalized for a stomach ulcer, Soseki accompanied a friend on a summer retreat to Shuzenji with the intention of recuperating, but his condition worsened, and he began to vomit blood and became critically ill. Fortunately, he began to recover and was transferred to Tokyo, and this is a diary-like essay in which he wrote about events during his hospital stay, his views on life and death, his aesthetic sense, and his gratitude to those around him, all as “omoide” (memories).
Facing death, Soseki’s thoughts on life and his gratitude are recorded in refined prose as unforgettable memories. Let me translate and introduce a passage from it.
—–
While confined to my sickbed, my world shrank to the small space beside my pillow.
Yet, the light streaming in through that narrow window felt far more precious and pure than it ever had when I was healthy and running freely outdoors.
It seems that life reveals its true colors only when one is on the verge of losing it.
When the shadow of death draws near, one feels fear. Yet, at the same time, the deeper that shadow grows, the more one discovers immeasurable beauty and tenderness—in a single wildflower blooming at one’s feet, or beyond the steam rising from a bowl of tea.
My pen no longer moves to recount grand events.
I simply wish to quietly record this joy of quiet rebirth—much like the sky reflected in a single drop of dew.
—–
The image of the vast sky reflected in a single drop of dew seems to evoke the transience and impermanence of a life sustained by something truly magnificent. (ref., The Pathos Of Things And The Cycle Of Transience, The Terminal Fear With Incurable Diseases)
In literature and film, flashback scenes recounting past events are often inserted to capture the story’s background or the characters’ inner lives; such visual and auditory elements serve to convey memories and emotions with greater precision.
Unlike “records” captured in photographs and videos, “omoide” is a subjective narrative constantly being rewoven from the present. Therefore, there can be a mysterious gap between the trace of memory as a “thing” imprinted as a plastic change in neural circuits, and the “experience” that emerges as an omoide. This may explain why the true nature of an omoide is difficult to grasp.
“Memory Lane” (Writers: Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph, Keni St. Lewis, Gene Dozier) is a song from Minnie Riperton’s album “Minnie” (1979), which was produced during her battle with cancer and with only a short time left to live.
A single photograph triggers a journey through a “memory lane,” a path of past memories, where feelings of longing for happy and sad memories resurface as nostalgia. Through emotionally rich lyrics, the song vividly portrays a universal scene confronting elements of life that everyone will likely experience: memory, love, and the loss of life. The recurring phrase “back down memory lane” invites the listener on a journey that evokes memories of a range of emotions, from blissful joy to heartbreaking pain. The final refrain, “save me save me,” weaves a poignant story as Minnie’s sorrowful prayer, and Minnie passed away just two months after this album was released. (ref., Immortality And The Future Of Lifespan)
In reality, humanity doesn’t simply preserve events that could become “omoide” as first-person memories; rather, they reconstruct them according to existing schemas such as preconceptions and cultural narratives, expressing them not merely as a playback of a recording, but through reorganization and remixing. In a sense, “omoide” could be described as a present artistic act that rewrites the past, its tone changing depending on age and state of mind.
While time as a quantity is measured in homogeneous units such as seconds, minutes, and hours, and is essential for the establishment of science, transportation, labor, and social institutions, Henri Bergson (1859-1941) viewed states of consciousness not as mutually external quantitative units, but as a duration (durée) in which past states permeate the present and undergo qualitative changes. Perhaps “omoide” can be described as a function that transforms multiple layers of “omoide” from the past into a single point in the present, rather than being bound by the linear concept of time.
The amygdala, an almond-shaped cluster of nerve cells located deep within the medial temporal lobe of higher vertebrates including humans, plays a major role in processing emotional responses and memory. It is believed that the stronger its activity, the more likely episodic memories are to be retained long-term. Emotions not only act as glue for memories, but intense emotions, whether happy or unhappy, also act as a lens that exaggerates the contours of memories and filters out surrounding information, making them more memorable and impactful as “omoide”.
Collective memory is a concept developed by the French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs (1877-1945), referring to the collection of memories, knowledge, and information shared by a social group, deeply intertwined with the group’s identity.
While the purpose of history is generally to provide a comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased account of past events, requiring the comparison and integration of various perspectives and details to create a complete and accurate record, collective memory focuses on a specific perspective—such as a social group, community, nation, or family—and therefore represents past events in a way that is tied to the group’s unique values, narratives, and biases. Therefore, collective memory is a group’s past constructed through the sharing of narratives, and individual narratives move back and forth between the individual and the group, overlapping and merging through collaborative work to form the contours and narratives of history. Consequently, if the stage setting of social context is lost, personal “omoide” may lose their meaning.
In any case, while memories are generally perceived as personal experiences, Halbwachs viewed memory as a social mechanism (cadres sociaux), arguing that when recalling the past, its content is shaped not only by individual memory but also by how the group to which one belongs interprets events.
Based on this concept, while history aims for objective narrative based on documents and records, collective memory is rooted in shared experiences and emotions, constantly being reinterpreted. The meaning of the same event can change dramatically depending on who recounts it and within what social framework it is told.
In fact, considering that memories are formed and passed down through conversations with family and friends, school lessons, and local rituals and events, it seems that collective memory exists precisely because of the existence of family and community frameworks.
In other words, in collective memory, historical facts can be remembered in different ways in each society, and this is linked to social forgetting, where societies choose what to remember and what not to talk about. As a result, the form of memory that remains in a society changes, and even the same historical facts can be given different meanings in each society, sometimes becoming a source of friction and conflict. On the other hand, it may also lead to confirming the values
Meanwhile, the trend towards technological posthumanism accompanying the modern era of AI and digital society is fundamentally transforming concepts that were once considered to be the foundation of innate human existence, such as memory, cultural values, and subjectivity. Amidst the ubiquity of digitized information and the blurring of the boundaries between life and machine, memory, once considered to belong to the individual’s inner world, is being externalized, circulated, incorporated into collectively formed technological systems, and managed and controlled.
Incidentally, the use of external memory—the external storage of information—dates back to ancient times, and the decline of internal memory due to reliance on external memory may be a universal fear for humanity. For example, in ancient Greece, the philosopher Socrates warned against the new technology of writing, stating that it would “weaken people’s memory and bring about superficial knowledge rather than true wisdom.” Furthermore, according to the words of King Tams of Egypt, recorded in Plato’s dialogue Phaedrus, “Writing brings forgetting to people’s souls. People cease to train their memories and rely on externally inscribed writing rather than their own inner memories.”
The brain, while accounting for only 2% of body weight, accounts for approximately 20% of the body’s total energy consumption and is used for maintaining brain structure, thinking, and concentration. However, the burden that the modern digital environment places on the brain is increasing. Everyday actions such as responding to smartphone notifications, operating apps, and scrolling are highly demanding tasks for the brain. The brain tends to rapidly deplete energy due to digital information overload, and memory decline may be far more serious than the concerns of ancient philosophers.
In fact, cognitive psychology research has revealed that reliance on search engines and digital tools is causing unique changes in the human memory system.
* Google effect:
Refers to the tendency to forget information quickly without memorizing it.
e.g., information can be easily re-obtained through internet searches.
* Digital amnesia:
The brain is instinctively designed to avoid unnecessary effort, and as the cognitive system pursues efficiency, amnesia is being further accelerated with the evolution of the digital environment.
e.g., the tendency not to memorize information because necessary information is readily available on digital devices.
Furthermore, cognitive offloading, which refers to the act of entrusting cognitive tasks and memory burdens to external resources, appears to be becoming widely used due to the increasing prevalence and expansion of computers and the internet, leading to the following addictive tendencies:
1. Reduced difficulty:
Comparing and weighing trust in one’s own memory against trust in external memory, one determines that externalization is more efficient and becomes dependent on it.
2. Dependence due to convenience and repetition:
Once reliance on internet searches, an external resource, one becomes habitually prioritizing internet searches over memory retrieval, without thinking for oneself.
3. Illusion of self-perception of ability:
This phenomenon involves confusing knowledge on the internet with knowledge in one’s own mind, leading to an unwarranted overconfidence in one’s own knowledge and memory based on answers obtained through searches.
In addition, the following phenomena are now known to be triggered:
* Excessive reliance on and prolonged use of digital devices and generative AI can cause hippocampal atrophy, leading to so-called digital dementia, a decline in cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and thinking ability, and potentially resulting in a brain drain effect, where working memory and fluid intelligence scores decline significantly.
* Constant notifications from digital devices, multitasking with multiple apps, and rapid switching of information can lead to excessive load on the prefrontal cortex, potentially impairing functions such as sustained attention, judgment, concentration, and emotional regulation.
* Brains accustomed to quick rewards such as “likes” from digital devices may become dissatisfied without immediate rewards, experience decreased motivation to pursue long-term goals, find delayed reward activities painful, and exhibit decreased patience and perseverance.
In any case, while the ease of obtaining answers quickly through AI and search engines reduces effort, it also weakens memory retention. This can lead to insufficient cognitive effort necessary for memory, such as deep processing and recall, potentially resulting in reduced knowledge retention and a decline in memory capacity. The risk of memory decline and developing a less critical brain is considered highest during the teenage and twenties years, when brain plasticity is at its peak.
Furthermore, in order to systematically acquire knowledge and build a foundation for critical thinking and creative thinking, it is essential to construct schemas in the brain—conceptual frameworks that organize related knowledge in a network-like structure. However, reliance on cognitive offloading can hinder or interrupt the construction of necessary internal models, leaving only weak schemas (superficial knowledge frameworks), which can lead to a decline in intellectual activity.
Moreover, blindly accepting external memories carries the risk of being misled by false information or only having a superficial understanding. Therefore, while using technology to enhance and expand memory may be unavoidable, rather than simply using it as a substitute for memory, it is essential to strive for coexistence with technology in a way that does not lead to the loss of innate memory abilities or instinctive judgment.
Dementia is a change or deterioration in the structure and function of the brain, and digital dementia could be described as a malfunction of brain function. In either case, it seems likely to lead to the loss of precious memories that we want to cherish and not forget, and it even gives the impression that it could potentially lead to complicated grief, prolonged grief, or even athazagoraphobia (fear of memory loss).
With the advancement of a highly digital society, it will be essential to take meticulous care to prevent the impairment of innate brain functions such as memory.
Sincerely grateful for your financial support.
Sources and references:
