The work of the human brain for modern scientists is as mysterious as the construction of the heavenly vault for contemporaries of Ivan the Terrible. One of the most interesting manifestations of brain activity is memory, which can be short-lived, episodic and even emotional. Here is the last view and consider in more detail.
Emotional memory in psychology - features and examples
Sometimes, you read the story, and in a few days you can not remember the author or the name. But the smell of sheets, a hard, slightly rough cover and the joy of reading the first self-acquired book instantly recalled and ten years later. This is one of the examples of emotional memory that turns on when a person passes through strong experiences. Recent research has helped to clarify that the hormones of the adrenal glands are actively involved in the storage of such events, and in ordinary memories they are not used. Probably, it is the special mechanism of remembering that provides us with such a brightness of the experiences of the events of the past.
In psychology, the emotional kind of memory is also interested in her ability to develop unconscious emotions that embrace when unconscious stimuli emerge. Suppose in childhood the boy was sent to the bakery for fresh bread, on the way home he was tempted by a pleasant aroma, broke off a piece, but then a big dog jumped out from around the corner, the boy got very frightened and fell. The time has passed, the boy grew up and forgot about the hot bakery products, but suddenly passed by the bakery and felt the same scent, followed by a sense of anxiety and impending danger.
Not everyone has the same emotional memory , you can be sure of this by asking two children who swept on the same roundabout, their impressions. One will wave his arms and tell how everything was spinning, what kind of horse he had, that the girl with big bows was sitting in front, and a boy was riding on the dragon from behind, and my father was standing next to and waving his hand. The second will tell you that it was fun, the carousel was spinning, and he was sitting a dragon, so beautiful. A year later, the first child will be able to remember and tell about everything, and the second will only confirm that last summer he was riding a carousel.
It can not be said that lack of emotional memory is a serious drawback, but it is necessary for many professions, for example, teachers and actors. Yes, and the ability to sympathize without it, too, will be underdeveloped. But if you do not have such a memory, do not worry, this is just a skill that can be improved through regular training.