Having goals and making sense of them would improve the ability to remember details.
- Participants with a life purpose reported having more accessible, consistent, and vivid memories than those without.
- People who give themselves goals indicate more details and are found to be more positive in the transcription of their memories.
Finding purpose in life is certainly not easy. Without going into philosophical reflections, American researchers from Florida State University suggest that setting goals allows you to keep an active memory. They presented their results on August 30 in the journal Memory.
Those who have a goal have a better objective memory
Regarding the vivacity and consistency of memory, there is nothing better than setting goals to achieve, note the researchers. “Personal memories perform very important functions in everyday lifesays the lead author of the study, Angelina Sutin. They help us set goals, control our emotions, and create intimacy with others. We also know that people with greater purpose do better on objective memory tests, such as memorizing a list of words.”
In this study, the researchers wanted to know that having a goal is associated with a higher quality of memories. For this, they recruited 800 participants who they asked to report on their personal goal. The latter then carried out a series of cognitive tests in January and February 2020, just before the start of the pandemic. Then, in July 2020, the researchers brought everyone back to answer a few questions about their experiences during the pandemic.
Purpose in life also leads to more positivity
Participants with a life purpose reported having more accessible, consistent, and vivid memories than those without. They also shared more sensory details, recalled first-person memories, and generally indicated more positive feelings than negativity when asked to recall something. Separately, the study authors note that depressive symptoms had little or no effect on participants’ ability to remember.
“Memories help people maintain their well-being, social connections and cognitive healthconcluded Antonio Terracciano, co-author of the study. This research gives us greater insight into the links between sense of purpose and the richness of personal memories. The vividness of those memories and how they fit into a cohesive narrative can be a pathway through which purpose leads to those best outcomes..”
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