学进去

Choose What to Remember, What to Forget

I was sorting through some boxes in the drawer last week when I came across a teddy bear from my childhood. 1． when I saw my faded old friend. In an instant I was reconnected with where I lived, who was around and how I felt.

2．. I once had thrown away a pair of running shoes that reminded me of the difficult days. According to a recent study it’s possible to use thinking tricks to remove negative associations. And, in the process, you can learn a lot about how memory works — including how to get yours under control.

First, volunteers were shown how to create connections between an item and negative emotions. They did this using vivid mental imagery (意象) — linking a child’s sports shoes to images of a playground accident, for example, so that the object became uncomfortable to have nearby. 3．. And this turned out to be more than just a temporary distraction (分心). It gradually weakened the bad memories — in some cases, erasing them altogether.

4．. And you can strengthen both of these factors when you want to remember. For example: pick up a favourite present and enjoy the pictures it brings to mind. On the other hand, when you want to forget the bad associations, practice pushing away any images.

The pictures you attach to things can connect you to some extremely powerful memories, for good or bad. 5．.