Memory problems during the pandemic? It’s just your brain trying to distinguish one day from the next

The last few years have shown us that participating in unique and distinctive events is essential for memory, learning and overall mental well-being

Without a doubt, we are living through a historically significant period. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the global economy, imposed extreme strain on health-care systems and precipitated a sudden and dramatic change in our daily lives.

Intuitively, it seems logical that the magnitude of disruption caused by the pandemic should generate many memorable moments of this time in our lives. Nevertheless, many people report anecdotally that their memory of life under lockdown is poor. And many of us experienced an increase in forgetfulness during the months of social isolation.

It’s not really clear what exactly causes these memory glitches, but well-established theories from cognitive psychology may be able to explain the phenomenon.

Autobiographical memory refers to our recollections of the events and general knowledge that constitute our sense of self. Interestingly, research into autobiographical memory shows that adults over 30 remember a disproportionately high number of events from late adolescence and early adulthood. This robust effect is known as the reminiscence bump.

Transition theory suggests that the effect occurs because early adulthood is a period of transition during which we experience new events, encounter new people and visit new places. The novelty of these experiences makes them stand out in memory.

In contrast, during periods of stability (e.g. working for many years in the same job), our activities tend to be less varied and less distinctive. As a result, daily events are more likely to be stored in memory as generic representations rather than as individual memories for specific events.

This theory is supported by the finding that major life transitions, such as immigration or major career changes, cause a similar spike in the number of memories we can retrieve from around that lifetime period.