Mind Chi Chat - a beginning, a middle & an end

With social media, the news and snippets of information coming at us, it is no wonder that we do not always
receive the whole story! We may have a beginning snippet and an end – but sometimes no middle! Or pick up a thread in the middle, but where does it fit? What started this off?

Riding your memory rhythms

You have natural times when you can recall information with greater ease.
The two natural peaks are at the start and at the end. This means that there is also a natural dip in the middle. And the further the start and finish are apart, the bigger your dip! For example, you may remember your first love… and probably the most recent… but some of those in the middle??!!

As a new piece of information comes your way, it will be a ‘start’ and accorded importance. Likewise the most recent piece will remain uppermost in your memory.

What about that great dip?

If there is quite some time from start to finish, then although you may be UNDERSTANDING, that is NOT the same as recall. This is why long periods of study do not create good recall for the examination.

Many short bursts of focus and learning, some 30 – 50 minutes maximum, will allow the start and finish to pull the natural memory up.

Your brain has a pattern searching trigger.

So whatever you hear as your first piece of information, your brain looks for other similar incidents and links them together. Then it ‘expects’ the unfolding to be in a certain direction.

And what if there is a ‘left turn’ in the middle?

Ah! Have you been talking to someone, telling them your story, and they interrupt with what they think is going to happen next, but it wasn’t what you were going to say?
Or maybe you were the one listening, thought you knew where the conversation was heading, wondered off in your thoughts for a bit, only to find they were somewhere you didn’t expect! Embarrassing!

An easy route for ‘fake news’!

This helps you to see that even without intent to spread false information, the natural skills of your brain, might cause fake news to be created.

Recently I put these two photos up on social media:

People were congratulating me on how early my strawberries were this year!

This is what happened in the middle:

And the question is WHY did I do this?

Anyone know??? I think I will wait for your responses!!
What I will add is that I do feel very slightly bad about it!
Please let me hear from you so we can line this story up!!

Chi and I are standing by on the ready to take your calls and emails!