Cultivate a memory

How to make a memory stronger -- while it's happening

What brings a memory into your conscious mind? Certain smells do this for me. One scent of honeysuckle and I think about a honeysuckle perfume I had in high school. Maybe you remember the cologne your grandfather wore, and you think of him whenever you smell it — or the smell of cinnamon brings to mind your grandmother’s house.

Music can bring up memories too, zooming to certain spots in our brains where we remember exactly what we associate that music with. That one song will forever conjure up your first love, even if that relationship is long in the past.

Memories make life feel more rich and full. So here’s a tip for making memories even stronger. Whenever you are going into something that you know you are going to want to remember, choose a scent or a song to associate with the time. Make sure you experience that scent or song frequently. Then, for the rest of your life, if you wish to conjure up that memory, you will have a short cut to the emotional experience.

Encouraging nostalgia

So, for instance, in May of 2017 I traveled to Indiana to give the commencement address at my old high school. I have lots of strong memories from my time at this residential school in Muncie, Indiana, but it’s not like I go back frequently. May 2017 was when Ed Sheeran’s song, “Castle on the Hill,” was rising up the charts. It’s a song full of nostalgia for going back to the place you are from. So I made a point of listening to that song as I was traveling to Indiana, and walking around those haunts that had been part of my life two decades prior. I linked that song with that place. And now, whenever I hear those opening chords, I am back there, and reliving that time — and linking myself to my teenage self, even though that song didn’t exist when I was a teenager (Sheeran was a child back when I was actually in high school).

Same with this wonderful orange-scented shampoo. My family traveled to Yosemite National Park, and all around California, in the summer of 2019. It was a wonderful trip, full of memories, and our hotel in the park had this orange soap. I made sure to take several of the small travel sizes home. And sure enough, when I pull it out, I can picture the cliffs and the gorgeous landscape and the towering trees of Mariposa Grove.

Create a link

This memory-linking often happens on its own, but you can nudge the process along. While you’re on the trip, choose a song you’d like to associate with the time. Or choose a scent that you can associate with it. Make sure you experience that song or scent as frequently as possible as you are making the memory.

Then, make sure you have some sort of artifact so you can call the memory back up. The song idea is pretty obvious. You just play the song! But scents are going to require something else — so buy a souvenir candle, or soaps, or maybe start using a new perfume or cologne that you can then associate with the trip when you spritz it.

When you do this, you’ll be able to access your happy memories more quickly. Obviously you’ll have memories of your trip or your adventure regardless. But this is one way to make it stick even more — and in our busy brains, that can be a good thing indeed.