Memory - Indicator of Creativity
Memory means the ability to learn.
Information not stored in one’s memory cannot be utilized,
and creativity cannot be developed without memory.
Creativity is the ability to create something new.
This means that something is "new" compared to the objects or methods memorized before,
and thus we cannot obtain creativity abilities without our memory.
As a result, it is necessary to memorize knowledge that is useful and highly expandable in order to improve our learning skills.
Memory is in general a product of repetition, and there are three ways to improve memory power based on the brain’s information processing.
1. Symmetrization
If we close our eyes and try to recall our friends’ faces and lecture rooms, it is often easier to recall the space such as auditoriums or rooms than the faces of our friends we encounter on a daily basis. This is because most elements of human faces consist of curves, while most spaces and objects made by humans have linear outlines with symmetrical structures. Symmetrical structures minimize the amount of information, and our brain minimizes the visual information of the objects we see to reduce the memory capacity. It is therefore easy to remember something if we find a symmetrical structure of objects or incidents. In this manner, the human brain remembers objects better when it detects a symmetrical element.
2. Sequencing
It is usually much easier to remember what we did during the day than what we studied from a book. Every action we perform follows a time sequence, which is why we reverse the sequence when we want to recall an incident we forgot. At the same time, a changing phenomenon can be easily understood when the related events are arranged in a time sequence. The biochemical processes that occur within a cell are the results of interactions between many proteins that follow a time sequence. In this sense, every phenomenon from history to cell biology to continental drift is a result of a temporal process. When events are arranged in a time sequence, their causes and results are revealed; the time sequence of those causes and results become a causal relationship. History and science therefore consist of a chain of causal relationships. The order of events becomes a story, and the human brain finds it easy to remember the order of events. In this context, a story is the core element of human intelligence.
3. Backgrounded
To improve memory power, it is necessary to have continuous interest in the object to remember. If we try to remember something and walk around a certain place, the chain of thoughts keeps growing and related memories gradually connect with each other, solidifying our memory. “Backgrounded” memory involves a process where the brain is repetitively stimulated for what we want to remember and neurological reactions extend to the nuclei of nerve cells and create new proteins.
The proteins created as a result of such stimulation produce long-term memory, and therefore such memory must be “backgrounded” in order to transmit stimulation to the nuclei of cells. When important content worth remembering becomes backgrounded in our mind, our perspective changes and our newfound, unconscious viewpoints help us discover new information.
