2022 Year in Review | Chris Voigt

2022: Year In Review

January 1, 2023

Happy New Year, friends! All across the country it was a memorable Christmas with wild wintry weather, cancelled flights, and rescheduled or postponed family gatherings. Whatever your circumstances, I hope you enjoyed the holiday and made good memories with family and friends.
 
What is it that makes something memorable? Science is still figuring out how the brain, and more specifically, memory, function. But we do know that strong emotions or trauma associated with events creates memories with more sticking power. So... this Christmas, with all of the drama involved, will probably stick out in people’s minds when they look back through the years. The associated emotions or stress will make the memories of this year stand out!
 
Brain science also tells us that the more we practice something or think about something, the stronger the connections or synapses in our brains become. Those synapses grow stronger or weaker based on how much we rehearse or think about something... or don’t.
 
In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, God tells the children of Israel to be intentional about remembering His laws for daily life and the promises attached to them. “Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish...” Perhaps God knew a bit about how memories are strengthened in our brains.