Rock Stars, Names and Other Vital Things Our Aging Brains Throw Away

By JOHN HARLOW | Editor-in-Chief

Why, as we age, can we recall every detail of a first kiss but then forget our neighbor’s name? And is it worth remembering which Kardashian is which? And how?

These were questions about memory posed to Dr. Alan Castel, professor of psychology at the University of California Los Angeles, when he joined the Palisades Alliance for Seniors at Palisades Branch Library on Monday, Feb. 27.

The professor has been interviewing “silver-age celebrities,” such as Bob Newhart, 87 and still a TV star, and Maya Angelou, at 87 still conjuring poetic wisdom for a book on successful aging to be published next year.

He has good news for the over-50 club.

“There is organic decline in the brain, but not as much as one might think, and new memories are being created all of the time. There is evidence we have more control than we think,” he said. “Studies have shown some exercise, three times a week, over a year, is associated with growth of the hippocampi [two brain organs which consolidate short- and long-term memories]. Exercise is more effective than ‘brain-boosting’ exercises such as Sudoku.”

He said that changing habits are also key to making best use of memory: Forgiving oneself for not remembering everything, deciding what is important or practical to recall—a grandson’s birthday over a pop star’s antics, for instance.

Names are often the first to slip away, said Castel, partially because of “inference.”

“There was a time when names were easier to remember because they had a high semantic value—Smith was a smith, a Cooper made barrels—but no longer.

“Also there is ‘interference’ as we get older—you remember the first Alan you meet at 10. By by the time you hit 50, you have met a lot of Alans. Mnemonic tricks, making up a song to recall a task, can add to confusion and work best only with less important stuff.”

He said one technique is to limit expectations.

Realizing for instance, that one can happily live by choosing to remember a “village” of people rather than trying to remember everyone in your city.

The good news? Leaving aside terrible plagues such as Alzheimer’s, one may have more control over memory and identity than they might think.