Declining memory/attention span/sharpness

Cartroubles

Has anyone else noticed that their overall mental sharpness has become poorer from mid 20s onwards? I used to pride myself on my memory and ability to focus but now at 31 I really struggle.

I put it down to phone and device usage and living in my head more, worrying about work and never really stopping to look around. I've also become one of those people that will repeat the same story to the same people because I can't recall who I've told it to.

Anyone experiencing similar?

safeasparagus

As long as the **** bank keeps working I’m happy enough.

The Satanist

Huh?

RMAOK

What's that sonny?

Cartroubles

The Satanist wrote: »

Huh?

Basically do you find your memory isn't what it used to be since mobile phones etc became so prevalent.

Cartroubles

safeasparagus wrote: »

As long as the **** bank keeps working I’m happy enough.

I'll lose all hope when that goes.

Cartroubles

Cartroubles wrote: »

Basically do you find your memory isn't what it used to be since mobile phones etc became so prevalent.

Yeah, you just asked that.

Cartroubles

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Yeah, you just asked that.

Are those my feet?

Muppet Man

safeasparagus wrote: »

As long as the **** bank keeps working I’m happy enough.

Maybe that's what's caused the problem!

sKeith

Cartroubles wrote: »

Basically do you find your memory isn't what it used to be since mobile phones etc became so prevalent.

I don't see the link with mobile phones being prevalent in general.


I think the difference of being 20 or 25 or 30 has way more to do with what you are talking about than mobile phones becoming prevalant.


Do you think everybody before mobile phones had perfect recall?


Maybe they blamed their less than perfect recall on something else.


I'm no expert in the field, but i was under the impression that memories get sorted when we sleep, maybe make sure you are getting enough undisturbed sleep.


If your mobile phone was waking you every 10 minutes of the night, then you can blame your mobile phone, but not everybody allows there phones to disturb their sleep, so that is your own choice in how to use mobile phones.


Similar to blaming guns for shootings. The gun is only a tool. Don't blame the tools for any misjudged use of them or the effects that they cause.

Stacksofwacks

On a serious note if you notice your cognitive abilities declining at such a young age you should mention it to a doctor, Im mid 30's and interms of mental sharpness Im fine but your brain does cement somehwhat the older you get

donspeekinglesh

safeasparagus wrote: »

As long as the **** bank keeps working I’m happy enough.

I didn't know this was actually a thing until a few years ago. I have aphantasia so I've never had one.

I also possibly have SDAM along with the aphantasia, so my memory has always been poor.

Atlantic Dawn

The gargle dims the brain.

Cartroubles

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

On a serious note if you notice your cognitive abilities declining at such a young age you should mention it to a doctor, Im mid 30's and interms of mental sharpness Im fine but your brain does cement somehwhat the older you get

I did actually at one point. It was pointed out to me a few times that I had a sh1te memory, and my brother had noticed that I wasn't as reliable in terms of keeping track of certain things as I used to be. Doctor suggested more exercise, good diet and good sleep. And he's right I'm sure.

I just often wondered about device usage being a factor as I began noticing it not long after I got my first smart phone.

Cartroubles

donspeekinglesh wrote: »

I didn't know this was actually a thing until a few years ago. I have aphantasia so I've never had one.

I also possibly have SDAM along with the aphantasia, so my memory has always been poor.

I had never heard of aphantasia until now. Interesting, when did you realise you had it?

Arghus

Personally I find that since I became a smartphone user my attention span has decreased markedly. I was, still largely am, a pretty big reader but now I find it hard to read more than a couple of pages before having a compulsive gawk at my phone. I scroll through articles rather than painstakingly reading everything. I personally don't feel any decline in my memory, but certainly the way I take in information is all different since the smartphone came into my life.

Gimme A Pound

Christ no. At mid 20s that doesn't seem right at all. Mid 60s maybe.

I wonder though is the information overload we are now constantly exposed to due to smartphones, apps, the internet, social media, steaming, causing our brains to be overcrowded?

Gimme A Pound

Others wrote about smartphones before I did. I think it seems very much a factor in concentration being affected in younger people.

Rubberchikken

i cant remember the question.

too lazy to check.

Cartroubles

Bonnie White Texture wrote: »

Christ no. At mid 20s that doesn't seem right at all. Mid 60s maybe.

I wonder though is the information overload we are now constantly exposed to due to smartphones, apps, the internet, social media, steaming, causing our brains to be overcrowded?

I did wonder if it could be a case that I don't really reflect on my day to day interactions and the information eventually gets lost or replaced with junk I've seen online. I don't really "exercise" my brain as much as when I was in school and college. Work doesn't really require much problem solving.

Reptilia10

Smartphones, television, computers; they're destroying people's minds, particularly young people. How many people under the age of 25 regularly read a book or newspaper? They are stimulus hungry, and can't go 5 minutes without staring at a screen. The adults are almost as bad.

Ficheall

Being constantly able to look things up with little difficulty definitely has a negative effect on one's memory. In the pub, trying to remember who starred in what, for example, and instead of everyone thinking about it, someone just googles and the memory isn't exercised. Can't not have a negative impact.



Obligatory reference to London taxi drivers documentary.


I have a checklist for a set of procedures I do in work every day - there aren't that many that I shouldn't be able remember them, but every day, I check the list, and would not be able to recall all the procedures without it.


Slightly related, on the porn thing - You know the card game "Memory", where you place all the cards face down, then take turns (or practice by yourself) turning them over two at a time and trying to find matching pairs? I haven't played in years, but I was pretty average at it. However, my recall improved dramatically when using a pack of pornographic playing cards (where the matching numbers had the same lady pictured). Presumably the effect would have been the same had the pictures simply been bizarre or otherwise "memorable", rather than a standard playing deck, but 'twas still interesting to note, I thought. And if anyone needs participants for such a study...

Before smartphones people memorized phone numbers, addresses, schedules, etc. That trains your memory in a way that people don't get now because we all carry memory devices that do it for us. When you wanted to find something out in ye olden days there were several steps involved with learning, finding the source of the wanted information, obtaining it, reading it and committing it to memory as it usually wasn't easy to re-access. There was a huge investment in accessing the information and in the formation of the memory. None of that exists now and we can drop the memory as quickly as we can look things up again.

Remembering things is an aptitude and a skill, we might still have the aptitude but we lack the everyday life training that would give us the remembering skills that our parents took for granted. The internet and easily accessed information makes our brains map differently.

BuboBubo

Well, I'm in my 40s and SQUIRREL!

Samuri Suicide

Flight mode before bed is a good thing.

donspeekinglesh

Cartroubles wrote: »

I had never heard of aphantasia until now. Interesting, when did you realise you had it?

Realised in my teens that the way I remembered seemed to be different to everyone else. Finally made sense that when people said to count sheep, they actually saw them.

Irish Guitarist

Memory loss is a fact of life and has nothing to do with phones.

Your brain starts to shrink at age 20. At around age 27 your memory starts to diminish. By the age of 40 you lose 10,000 brain cells a day.

I'm 43 and my memory has gotten terrible. Not to the point I've forgotten important things, but if I watch a series on Netflix and have to wait months for the next one I'll have forgotten about 70% of what happened.

wakka12

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Memory loss is a fact of life and has nothing to do with phones.

Your brain starts to shrink at age 20. At around age 27 your memory starts to diminish. By the age of 40 you lose 10,000 brain cells a day.

I'm 43 and my memory has gotten terrible. Not to the point I've forgotten important things, but if I watch a series on Netflix and have to wait months for the next one I'll have forgotten about 70% of what happened.

Thats normal, its why they have recaps :pac:

Im 23 and Ive noticed Ive got really bad at remembering celebrity names. I have bouts of bad anxiety and Im pretty sure it can affect memory pathways

Your Face

No, my memory is fine. My recall when working on projects is better if anything.

I do, however, find myself bothering less remembering things I don't find important anymore.

Badly Drunk Boy

Candie wrote: »

Before smartphones people memorized phone numbers, addresses, schedules, etc. That trains your memory in a way that people don't get now because we all carry memory devices that do it for us. When you wanted to find something out in ye olden days there were several steps involved with learning, finding the source of the wanted information, obtaining it, reading it and committing it to memory as it usually wasn't easy to re-access..

I agree! I've a fairly good memory, and can remember landline phone numbers from 30 years ago, but don't have the same recall for mobile numbers. Actually, the mobile numbers I remember easiest are ones I knew before I got one myself (I was a late starter, getting my first mobile in 2006 at the age of 33). And I only got my first smartphone a few months ago at 45 so I haven't been fully corrupted yet.

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I'm 43 and my memory has gotten terrible. Not to the point I've forgotten important things, but if I watch a series on Netflix and have to wait months for the next one I'll have forgotten about 70% of what happened.

I'd say part of that is down to the fact that there's so much more available to us, and as wakka12 said, that's why there are recaps. For me, Vikings was the worst. For the first few series, there were only 9 or 10 episodes, so you'd wait ages for the next series, and then on RTÉ, they'd show 2 episodes at a time.

wakka12 wrote: »

Im 23 and Ive noticed Ive got really bad at remembering celebrity names.

There are so many similar, bland 'celebrities' around now, it's no wonder that your brain doesn't want to remember them. :pac:

friendlyfun

sKeith wrote: »

I don't see the link with mobile phones being prevalent in general.


I think the difference of being 20 or 25 or 30 has way more to do with what you are talking about than mobile phones becoming prevalant.


Do you think everybody before mobile phones had perfect recall?


Maybe they blamed their less than perfect recall on something else.


I'm no expert in the field, but i was under the impression that memories get sorted when we sleep, maybe make sure you are getting enough undisturbed sleep.


If your mobile phone was waking you every 10 minutes of the night, then you can blame your mobile phone, but not everybody allows there phones to disturb their sleep, so that is your own choice in how to use mobile phones.


Similar to blaming guns for shootings. The gun is only a tool. Don't blame the tools for any misjudged use of them or the effects that they cause.

Yes but the prevalence and availability of guns is definitely a contributing factor. And giving guns to people with pre-existing criminal convictions or mental health issues isn't exacr smart either.

Keyzer

I'm very concious of this issue as my father, in his 80's, has done virtually nothing to stimulate his brain since retiring nearly 20 years ago. And by nothing, I really mean nothing.

I try to read as much as I can, I play guitar and took up the piano almost a year ago. This keep my mind active.

I am acutely aware of how much time I spend on my phone, too much really. But I read on my phone versus reading mindless nonsense.

The brain is like a muscle, use it or it just fades away.

storker

I'm in my early 50's and I don't think my attention span or retention has disimproved to any noticable extent. I have a lot of interests...too many probably...but if I get engrossed in reading, or a task or activity, I can keep at it for ages. Certainly, my phone isn't a distraction, but then I mainly use that for reading or chess or Netflix - I don't do social media, so I'm not persecuted by updates and on my phone I have all alerts and notifications turned off. Very few things are so important that one needs to be instantly updated about them, and for those that are, that's what phone calls are for.

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

Cartroubles wrote: »

Has anyone else noticed that their overall mental sharpness has become poorer from mid 20s onwards? I used to pride myself on my memory and ability to focus but now at 31 I really struggle.

I put it down to phone and device usage and living in my head more, worrying about work and never really stopping to look around. I've also become one of those people that will repeat the same story to the same people because I can't recall who I've told it to.

Anyone experiencing similar?

Others have said this already but it's worth repeating. The brain is a muscle and it needs to be exercised. The one problem as we grow older is that we tend to get locked into "what we know" and learning new things could be seen as more hassle than it's worth. It's not true, learning something new is always helpful.

There may be another problem though. Depression. Depression has been associated with short term memory loss.

Grayson

safeasparagus wrote: »

As long as the **** bank keeps working I’m happy enough.

I read an article about how excessive masturbation and porn can affect memory.

Autecher

Alfred Poor Scorpio wrote: »

There may be another problem though. Depression. Depression has been associated with short term memory loss.

In my case I think that's it. I used to have very good memory in my 20's. It would often be remarked upon in work. I used to go out 2-3 nights a week socialising, read a lot and talk to people every day. I'm 35 now and I barely go outside except to go to work and run errands. I don't do any of my old hobbies anymore as I have lost interest in them and I don't talk to my friends much either. My long and short term memory have gone very bad, i'm constantly forgetting things and loads of stuff from my youth has just vanished from my memory. I am on my phone and tablet a lot which are definitely a contributing factor too though. I keep saying to myself i'll get off the phone and off the couch and do stuff but I always fall back into the much much easier option of staying in by myself.

Autecher

Autecher wrote: »

In my case I think that's it. I used to have very good memory in my 20's. It would often be remarked upon in work. I used to go out 2-3 nights a week socialising, read a lot and talk to people every day. I'm 35 now and I barely go outside except to go to work and run errands. I don't do any of my old hobbies anymore as I have lost interest in them and I don't talk to my friends much either. My long and short term memory have gone very bad, i'm constantly forgetting things and loads of stuff from my youth has just vanished from my memory. I am on my phone and tablet a lot which are definitely a contributing factor too though. I keep saying to myself i'll get off the phone and off the couch and do stuff but I always fall back into the much much easier option of staying in by myself.

Maybe consider a trip to the doc too. You don't have to live with low mood, and it's not just all about medication or being numbed, you can be helped but you have to go ask for it first. I hope you feel a bit brighter soon.

sbsquarepants

Grayson wrote: »

I read an article about how excessive masturbation and porn can affect memory.

I think I read that one too, i'm not sure though.;)

Autecher

Candie wrote: »

Maybe consider a trip to the doc too. You don't have to live with low mood, and it's not just all about medication or being numbed, you can be helped but you have to go ask for it first. I hope you feel a bit brighter soon.

I have tried medication of increasingly higher milligrams, therapy and cbt several times each. They are not for me, I don't think they work. I don't want to hijack the thread though so I'll leave it there. Thank you for the advice and kind words

Former Observer

In my opinion what you are describing is indeed related to smartphone and internet use.

As a teenager and young adult I used to read a lot, one thousand page Russian novels were no issue for me, but fifteen years later I found that I was caught in a perpetual loop of skimming websites and watching dozens of TV series. My attention span was absolutely corrupted and I could hardly read one full page of a book anymore. Before sleeping at night I used to listen to podcasts and I basically crammed my entire waking life outside of work with chatter and inanity.

Identifying the problem is important (because for some people this is not a problem, they are very happy to live like this). In my case I forced myself back into reading novels, as well as academic books that interest me, but also keeping a weekly diary. It took about seven completed novels until I could approximate the ease with which I use to read. You need to invest in yourself a little. Be interested in yourself. And as you say, reflect on your thoughts and feelings. If you feel resistance then you know there is a blockage of some sort and you need to work on it, but be patience, it'll come, you've already made the first step. Few things are more important than developing and recovering your self-image and through this you may find your connections with other people will deepen too. Try to do a few things away from the computer like drawing or writing with no particular purpose in mind other than enjoyment.

Finally, ignore the people saying this is age related. At thirty whatever you can still do anything you want and in many respects, if you get over this hump, you will come out even stronger.

topper75

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

The gargle dims the brain.

What you make of all the new buildings along Dublin's quays?

_Whimsical_

Are you on any medications OP?

All sorts of medication can impact your memory and cognitive function.

One that's commonly a source of memory problems, sometimes serious problems, is statin medication for high cholesterol. You're probably young to be on that but you wouldn't be the first 20 something I've met on it.

wakka12

After doing some research the reasons a person in their 20's might be experience memory loss are

depression, a lower education level, being physically inactive, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, alcohol over use, Underactive thyroid, lack of sleep, stress and anxiety, many different types of medications, over use of tech devices

And its not nearly as uncommon in young adults as you would think

'Over 18,500 individuals, ages 18 to 99, were asked about memory problems and the lifestyle factors. Unsurprisingly, memory problems were more prevalent as people aged. Twenty percent of the respondents had memory issues, with 14 percent of them being young adults, 22 percent being middle-aged, and 26 percent being older.'

https://www.medicaldaily.com/memory-loss-young-adults-problem-too-depression-poor-education-and-physical-inactivity-increase-risk