Bad Experiences Boost Memory

Negative emotions help boost memory, a latest research done by the University of Queensland, reveals.

The study found that that bad experiences in a particular place enhance memories about it.  Such experiences activate the parahippocampal cortex. It is an area in brain that is responsible for formation of memory of places .

"This heightened recall occurs automatically, without people even being aware that the negative imagery is affecting their memories," lead researcher Dr Oliver Baumann from the Queensland Brain Institute said in a news release. "It could serve as a cue for avoiding potential threats."

"Our findings show that emotions can exert a powerful influence on spatial and navigational memory for places," Baumann said. "In future we might be able to boost memory functions by triggering the positive side-effects of emotional arousal, while avoiding the need for negative experiences."

For the study the researchers created a 'virtual house' and staged events in every room of house evoking various emotional responses from the subjects.

A day after being at the virtual house, the participants were told to look at static images of the house without the emotional descriptions. During the time the researchers observed their brains under an MRI scanner. "The events were illustrated using images from the International Affective Picture System library and included dramatic scenes of attack and threat, as well as more pleasant imagery," Baumann said.

"The results showed that emotional arousal exerted a powerful influence on memory by enhancing parahippocampal activity," Baumann concluded.

The paper "Negative Emotional Experiences during Navigation Enhance Parahippocampal Activity during Recall of Place Information" was published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.