The one morning you’re late for work, and you can’t find your keys. That big dinner party is hours away, and you forgot to buy the most important ingredient. When we need our memory the most, it seems to fail us—and new research might explain why. In two separate experiments, published in Behavioral Brain Research, a group of German researchers subjected 60 people to mild forms of emotional and situational stress. In both experiments, women who were stressed took 10% more time to recall recently learned information. Why? When you’re stressed, your body releases several hormones, including noradrenalin and cortisol. Both hormones flood the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for “working memory,” explains study author Oliver Wolf, PhD, a cognitive psychologist at Ruhr-University Bochum. Working memory helps us retain and process new information, and allows us to recall stored memories. Although scientists aren’t entirely sure why these stress hormones impair working memory, earlier research reinforces Wolf’s findings. More from Prevention: Silent Signals You’re Stressed Moments of stress are often when we need that recall ability the most—and this study suggests that managing stress might very well help us retain it during trying times. Yoga and meditation have both been shown to reduce stress, Wolf says. Even 30 minutes of exercise has been shown to curb stress for up to 90 minutes, and enhance memory at the same time, according to recent research from the University of Missouri and Columbia University. (Get zen with A Meditation Style To Match Your Personality.) If you can’t squeeze in a workout, then laughter might be the best medicine. When you’re stressed, the lining of your blood vessels constricts, reducing blood flow to the brain, finds research from the University of Maryland. Reduced blood flow means the brain obtains less oxygen from your blood, which might partly explain the decline in mental function. But watching a funny movie for a mere 15 minutes, that same study found, can reverse the constriction and boost memory. Questions? Comments? Contact Prevention’s News Team!
