Am I the only one who, at the age of 62 (almost 63!), has random memories just pop into my head? I can be doing dishes, getting dressed, watching television—literally any activity, and some blast from my past will appear in my mind. It is always very clear and almost as if I am back there, in the moment. Usually these are not big memories of special events, just simple flashes of life when I was young…..
Mind Blown!
Wow, so I just took a break here to Google this (because Google knows everything) and these are called Mind Pops. As far as I can tell, psychiatrists think that we are remembering something because of a “trigger” of some kind in the present. We may not be able to identify what caused that memory to pop up, but at least 40% of Mind Pops are believed to be prompted by some stimuli in the present. The studies on this phenomenon are not able to definitively say what causes the others, although they think that being creative, studying something new and otherwise using your brain can increase the chances for Mind Pops.
Triggers
So what kinds of things can be triggers and why? After some study on this here is what I have learned:
- Music—not a surprise to anybody, but the different kinds of music may be.
- Pop Songs: Because so many of them are played everywhere and over and over, they become the background music of our lives. “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows…”
- TV Show Theme Songs: No surprise here—these take us back to some of the most comforting and warm memories we have. “Head Em Up—Move Em Out, Keep those Doggies Rollin…”
- Music Played by Parents: So, I guess our kids will get flashbacks from Steve Miller, Heart, The Beatles… my parents were into country and easy listening. “Chances Are…”
- Smells—
- Food your mom made—who doesn’t remember coming home from school to a house that smells like meatloaf?!
- Campfire smoke—instantly back in dirty clothes, grimy hands and the freedom of camping. The smell of burned hot dogs goes with this one!
- The smell of a Christmas tree—along with cookies baking, turkey roasting….
- Percolating coffee –every morning of my childhood, I woke to the sound of the coffee percolator going and giving the house a heavenly smell.
- These are some of my favorites, but almost any smell will bring back some memory. When I smell gasoline and water at the same time, I am instantly back on my Dad’s boat getting ready to waterski or fish.
- Tastes—Particularly tastes from sweets—for some reason retro candy tastes can bring back lots of memories (Saturday afternoon matinees, anyone?).
- Thoughts—yes, thoughts. When you can’t remember the name of something or someone, you are more likely to have a Mind Pop in the next hours—and it may even be the name you were looking for—or not. It could be something totally unrelated that your brain dug up and spit out.
The point is that these are not a cause for alarm (although studies have shown that those who have schizophrenia have an increased incidence of them), just a normal part of living with our amazing brains. As for my Mind Pops, since I started this blog, I have been more “creative” than usual, so there you go—my ancient brain is stepping up to the plate! Nice to know it is still working…..