Why do we link memories to objects?

Wikipedia defines memory as the storage and retention of information over time and retrieved when needed. Memories can be associated with objects, and some physical gifts matter deeply. Material things are precious because they carry a part of the past with them. It can be a toy that your mom ordered from vat19 gifts and gave it to you, a bracelet that your grandma gave you a few years back, or something you ordered online for yourself from vat19 gifts after reading reviews of online shopping sites. According to scientific research, around 40 percent of the home’s most meaningful objects are either gifts or inherited, and then they become an unforgettable memory. We have a special attachment to those objects. Studies are evident that even random, non-essential things can become a crucial memory. The Bradford exchange reviews try their best to give unbiased opinions that also make memories of different products or objects.

Is this a new practice?

The habit of protecting the most precious objects is nothing new. For centuries people have developed strong emotional bonds with their favorite things: jewelers, toys of their children, or grandfather’s coat. You might have seen your mother store her mom’s jewelry while your father would like to drive the old wagon in which he used to go to school with his dad. The size or price of an object doesn’t matter. Some people have stored an old watch instead of their expensive laptop.

The scientific side

Tons of research still needs to be done to understand the interaction of objects and memories. According to scientific research and psychological studies, the retrosplenial cortex in the brain specialized for storing and recalling memories. It integrates experienced sensations such as the smell of a hot dog or the taste of honey. The retrosplenial cortex is linked to the formation of episodic memory. Hence the events are recorded by associating them with sensations. So if something important happens to you while you are passing by a pizza stall, then your brain will associate that memory with the pizza stall.  

Memories and childhood

When objects are involved in important events in our life, they hold a sentimental meaning, so our brain attaches the event or people linked to it. Suppose your grandmother gave you a teddy bear when you were only 5, you used to play with it and kept it with you every time. As you grew up older, that teddy bear was pushed to the end of your closet and just lost it. One day when you were planning to move from the house, you stumble upon a familiar sift teddy bear! The sight of the teddy, smell, and the feeling of its fur bring back to you all the old memories, including your grandma, who gave it to you. After so many years, when you see the teddy bear, your mind will flood with all the memories associated with it. Due to this emotional attachment, it is always hard to give up childhood toys or the possessions of loved ones who are no longer with us

Capturing memories

Do you have old photographs or videos of a memorable event or your favorite object? Our memories are significant as we get older, those photographs to remind us of the best moments we lived with the most loved people. The people who are no more living are a part of these memories.