Have you ever wondered how our memory can remember something we haven’t done for years when we can’t remember the phone number we just read, the name of the person we met a few days ago, or even what we just had dinner last night?
It seems that different types of memories are stored in various parts of our brain, and these memories open a door for us as to what kind of memory we have.
Our long-term memory is divided into declarative and procedural.
Declarative memory can be recalled consciously and covers all real events in our lives. Procedural memory, on the other hand, cannot be recalled and consists mostly of skills and actions that we perform on a regular basis.
It takes a long time for a routine or action to settle into long-term memory, but once it happens, it happens outside of our consciousness, so we don’t have to pay too much attention to it.
For example, when we want to ride a bike, we have to try to control multiple actions at the same time, such as maintaining balance, pressing the pedals and adjusting the position of the lever.
Again, with the same logic, we feel the need to focus all our attention when trying to learn to drive for the first time. However, once we learn and practice how to ride a bike and drive, we won’t need a huge focus.
Because when we make the necessary repetitions, all these are transferred to our long-term memory. Over time, we realize that we can multitask while doing these rides, such as being able to chat and sing along to our favorite song.
Another concept that comes into play at this point is the muscle memory we have.
Contrary to its name, the center of muscle memory, a type of procedural memory, is not in the muscles but in the brain. At first, our brain works more actively to perform the desired task, but as practice and repetition of this activity, it needs less focus over time to successfully perform that task.
Some researchers refer to the term muscle memory as “zombie agents.” The reason for this is to refer to agents in our brains that can perform a certain task without us realizing it.
Imagine going to work by car or bike on a regular basis every day, and when you set off one morning you feel confused and distracted. When you take a moment to let go of the thoughts that plague your mind, you will realize that you are driving to work in the usual way.
In fact, what comes into play here is that muscle memory can perform the act of driving and cycling, rather than just remembering the route.
Even if your mind is in different places, you will change lanes, honk, or increase or decrease your speed without realizing it. In a nutshell, our point is that this form of memory doesn’t just evolve for tasks that we actively practice.
The longer we practice and repeat an action, the more firmly that action can be imprinted in our memory, and even though many years have passed, these actions continue to exist in our permanent memory, and when we go back, all these things remain as if they were performed only yesterday.
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