People or Places...What triggers the Memory most?

My Alma Mater: TRHS- Des Moines,IA

I used to think that is was shallow minded to have many of one's fondest memories be wrapped in  a favorite place or building (one's old high school for example) After all, the building or locale is only an object and not a living breathing organism...shouldn't it be people that we share our lives with that create those treasured memories? Yet, recently I have been revising my thinking on this. I believe it's a mistake to separate the two and think of them as exclusive categories.  They often feed on each other and serve to cement those memories for us. A childhood home, or your old high school, triggers memories, probably both good and bad of your growing up experiences. Which in turn triggers memories of those people who shared events within our childhood. In that respect, the building or place has served it's purpose in connecting us to the people of those particular memories.

Yet, in someways the special building or place can evoke memories that stand alone-devoid of any connections to other people in your life. Perhaps those places serve a purpose in our memory in and of themselves. They help to provide a highly personal collection of memories that is exclusively our own, ours and ours alone. An example I'm thinking of from my child hood is a special place I used to go near my Grandmother's house. I used to "escape" there to be alone with my thoughts and also to reconnect with nature. It was in the nearby woods, close enough to the road so I wouldn't feel lost, but nestled in the trees so I could feel alone. There was a huge slab of stone, quite comfortable to sit upon. I dubbed it my "thinking rock". Whenever we went to visit, I sought it out to have some precious "Me time".

Taking the opportunity to relive and cherish happy times is good for the soul.  Conversely, as a matter of self-preservation, hurtful memories are delegated to the darkest corners of our mind. Sometimes they are frequently meant to stay there, because sometimes they are better suppressed.  We can continue to cope and move forward without them being on the forefront of our consciousness.

"Sometimes,  I guess there just aren't enough rocks"

 Some things can't be "resolved"  other than to just put them on a shelf. Then sometimes the sadness, anger or fear is brought forth and triggered by a specific place. One of the best example of suppressing memories in this manner is beautifully illustrated in the film Forest Gump.  Jenny had come back to visit Forest and as they were strolling came upon her abandoned childhood home. Living in that home with an abusive father, her face clouded over, then turned to anger. She began hurling stones and breaking the last of the remaining window glass. It is one of the most powerful, telling scenes in the whole movie. As she dissolves in tears, Forest comforts her the only way he can by saying: " Sometimes I guess there just aren't enough rocks." Simplistic in nature on the surface, Forest had it spot on by revealing that sometimes in our psyche, injuries can't be healed but only fade to a distant memory.

The discussion about what triggers the memory most, people or places, can be revised very quickly when one finds out that it is not the sense of sight that is the strongest sense for triggering memory. Out of all of our 5 senses, scientists have confirmed that the sense of smell is the strongest for memory recall.  Here is a ranking, that is generally agreed upon in the scientific community, of how our five senses rate in assisting us with our memory recall.

1. Smell - Certain smells can trigger vivid memories almost instantaneously.
2. Taste - Taste is closely linked to smell, so it also has a powerful connection to memory, 
3. Touch -  Textures and certain feelings can bring out old memories.
4. Sight- Most people consider this the most important sense, however it does not rank high on the list for triggering memory.
5. Sound - I found this very ironic that sound is the least important sense for recalling memories. Hard to believe when I think of all my favorite music from my high school and college days. Maybe this ranking is different for different people (?)

According to several neuroscientist's theories, memories fad with time to be replaced by more recent memories. Memories that have have deemed worthy of retaining can usually be kept if "re-visited" and brought to the forefront of our thinking. I love to scrapbook family photographs and it's a perfect way for me to keep those memories alive and exercising my brain. Not only is it a good way to recollect events, but serves as a good reference point when random questions arise....."What year did we go to Maine?"

 It's interesting though that memories are frequently revised and embellished, sometimes we only remember what we want to remember. Again it's the old self-preservation of the psyche, wanting to protect one's self. Who can blame you?
 
 However memories are triggered for you, they are an important part of what defines us as a person and helps to keep us mentally happy and healthy. Whatever form they take: a building, a photograph, the scent of your aunt's favorite casserole, just cherish them and let them be refreshed now and then so they don't become lost in a dusty, remote corner of the psyche. Bring on the nostalgia, it's good for the soul. JES