Taking too many selfies could be ruining your memory

Around 800 billion photos will be taken in 2014 alone, with over 200,000 uploaded to Facebook every single minute, but if you’re one of the people guilty of taking pictures constantly throughout the day, you could actually be damaging your memory by doing so.

According to research by psychologist Linda Henkel at Fairfield University, our ‘camera-ready’ lifestyles are causing us to lose the memory of what we snap, as viewing things through a lens adds a level of separation; this means we don’t manage the ‘deep processing’ needed to properly retain the memory.

If you’re now thinking of giving up taking pictures altogether, don’t worry, as there’s still hope! The research says if you want to improve your chances of remembering, take a close up picture of what is in front of you, focusing in on a detail instead of the whole thing. This will force the brain to make an association between the small detail and the bigger picture.

Maybe we should get outside in the sunshine today, put our phones down, enjoy the weather, and make some lasting memories! One selfie won’t hurt though, will it?

Image via Sarah Van Quickelberge