How does your memory work?
Have you ever thought about your memory? How does it actually work? Why do you remember some things quickly while others are hard to recall?
Imagine your first day at a new job — new office, new people. After you sit at your new desk, someone from the People team comes to give you a guided tour.
You start walking, and she introduces you to, let’s say, 30 new people during the tour, plus three or four more you meet at the cafeteria. Now imagine that at the end of the day, someone hands you a list of 200 names and asks: could you mark which of these you met today? You’ll probably manage fewer than five — the ones you spent the most time with, or the last ones you met.
Now imagine a different version of that same day. Instead of a list of 200 names, this person brings you a book with 200 photos and asks the same question. You’ll probably get close to all 30.
Why?
Because names are isolated pieces of information — you can’t relate a name to anything except the moment someone was introduced. A photo, on the other hand, carries a lot of metadata: where you were, what that person did, the first thing they said, whether it was morning or afternoon.
We are more visual than we give ourselves credit for. Images carry far more context, and as pieces of information, they’re much easier for us to relate to than names in isolation.
It’s a small fact, but understanding it can change how you choose to use your memory.
