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Mritsa Week 16: How Stress Negatively Affects Your Memory

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With AP season almost ending, learn how stress negatively affects your memory! Stress can severely disrupt how memories are formed. Studies indicate that high levels of stress make it difficult for individuals to create “short-term memories and convert them into long-term ones.” This means that during stressful periods, learning new information becomes challenging. Moreover, “stress can alter existing memories.” Every time we recall a memory, it gets slightly modified by our current state and experiences, therefore, high stress can distort our recollections, making them less accurate over time. The type of memory formed under stress is also affected. Events experienced during stressful times may be remembered with less accuracy. This phenomenon explains why eyewitness testimonies can be unreliable. Stress “influences our perception and recall ability,” making it harder to remember details accurately. Additionally, if questioned about an event and provided with misleading information, o
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Vishruth, Week 16: Bilingualism

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Bilingualism, the ability to fluently speak two languages, has long fascinated researchers for its profound impact on cognitive function, particularly memory. Far from being a mere linguistic skill, bilingualism is increasingly recognized as a cognitive asset that shapes the very architecture of the brain. If I were to guess, English is not the only language you are fluent in. Personally, I can read, write, and speak three languages: English, Tamil, and French. But can you imagine knowing the ins and outs of five, six… ten languages? Just imagine how much memory that must take—storing hundreds of thousands of conjugations and grammar rules. It took me years to even get the handle of one. It turns out, however, that the differential wiring of polyglots’ brains contributes to their ability to absorb new languages in a way that others can’t. In this text, I delve into the details of how these neuronal differences give rise to the gift of multilingualism. MIT News The brain’s language proc
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Taj Week 16: Would You Want to Have a Conversation With Aristotle?

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Would You Want to Have a Conversation With Aristotle Over the weekend, while I was taking one of my many breaks from studying AP testing materials, I stumbled upon an old keynote from none other than Steve Jobs. Usually soundbites from Jobs are quite electrifying, so I decided to watch the clip in its entirety. Jobs began his keynote with an interesting statement: he was extremely jealous of Alexander the Great. However, not for the obvious reasons. He was not jealous of Alexander's tactical genius and impressive military record. He was not jealous of Alexander's massive empire stretching from Greece all the way to northern India. He was jealous that Alexander's tutor was Aristotle. Jobs notes that you can read the writings of Aristotle, and you can consult a professor who intensely studied the works of Aristotle. But it is virtually impossible to get Aristotle's authentic view on any subject or question. Although this is not a profound or enlightening thought, Jobs fol
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Kallie, Week 16: A Healthy Dose of Shame

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Think back to an embarrassing moment in your life. Perhaps you said something foolish in front of a crowd. Or maybe—as I did recently—you weren’t paying attention and walked into the wrong classroom.  When you think about this incident, do you still feel a creeping sense of shame linger over you? Or do you not think much of it? Or perhaps you’ve successfully wiped the memory of any unfortunate incidents from your brain entirely. To some extent, there’s value in remembering our most shameful moments. If the source of our embarrassment is our own actions, then oftentimes there’s a lesson to be learned there. It serves our best interests to learn from our mistakes, even if the memory is an unpleasant one.  At the same time, it does you little good to unnecessarily expend energy dwelling for too long in the past. There is little point in spending too much time regretting what cannot be changed, as it only contributes to your misery and ultimately achieves nothing other than feeding into se
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Julia, Week 16 - A Cycle

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As the two-month summer break approaches, I’m starting to get reminded of the pleasant memories I’ve created over last year’s break. A trip to the Philippines so enjoyable still sticks with me and will remain as a part of my identity, as that was a time when I truly felt satisfied with myself and the people who I surrounded myself with. When coming across this opportunity to write personal blogs around the first month of school, I immediately went to write about my experience during the first days in the Philippines. Of course, to relate to those feelings of anticipation that started building up when attending my first days of APENG, I couldn’t help but recall those same feelings I felt when arriving back at the Philippines as I let the words for my blog flow freely onto my draft. But soon I will leave many more of these pressures behind and slowly mold into the comfort of writing with a new kind of rhetoric, and a new kind of future to look forward to. At least, for a little while, I
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Sanchay Week 16: Learning and memorizing

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 Since we are currently in "testing season," time and effective learning are the two most important aspects of the lives of most students. However, how can we optimize our learning so that we minimize our time spent learning a topic and maximize the level of understanding and remembrance of it? According to the University of ST. Augustine for Health and Science, the first step to improving your learning is to "set the stage" by creating the conditions in "your body and external environment." They claim that the best way to optimize your environment and body for learning is by:  "Get[ting] a good night's sleep." Aim for getting "8 hours" of quality sleep every day. "Switch[ing] up your study environment." Avoid studying in your room every day, try working outside, in the kitchen, or in a coffee shop, as "a change in scenery can improve both your memory and concentration levels." "Listen[ing] to calm music.&qu
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Anirudh Week 16: Nostalgia and Its Influence on the Human Mind

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Have you ever experienced moments when you remember a time from the past and long for it to happen again?  I think we have all felt nostalgia at least once in our lives, reminiscing about a certain time that we want to relive. Sometimes it is more intense—overwhelming our thoughts with the memory—and other times, it remains for a brief moment. Nevertheless, this is a strange feeling that plays a significant role in our lives.  According to an article from the University of Southampton , nostalgia is a “complex emotion” with a “mixed affective signature.” People tend to “[feel] emotional,” experiencing a mix of happiness and a “sense of loss and longing.” The impact of nostalgia is profound, as people have a greater sense of “belongingness, affiliation, or sociality.”  For me, nostalgia offers a way to relieve some stress, especially before important tests. The memory of a calming experience helps me improve my attitude toward the approaching task, and I become filled with a sense of gr
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