Michael McNeil I remember a couple of days ago when my family and I went to the beach to celebrate Mother's Day by watching the sunset. We brought blankets and laid down on the sand, watching the sky. The brilliant red sunlight cascaded down onto the sparkling waves and slick shore. Wanting to keep the moment forever, I pulled out my phone to take a quick picture. "You don't always have to be on your phone." My dad was quick to lash out. I protested, saying that I was just going to take a picture of the sunset. "You'll remember it better if you stay in the moment." My mom advised. Well, I ended up taking that photo. And I can remember the glorious sunset vividly because I took that photo, according to a recent issue of Psychological Science. The common misconception is that taking a picture takes you out of the moment so you won't remember it as well, which this study proved false. In the study, Dr. Alixandra Barasch had people go through a museum exhibit while listening to an audio guide. These people were allowed to take photos if they wished, or leave their camera or phone behind. After going through the exhibit, they were given a memory test of both the visual art and the information from the audio guide. The people who took photos freely were found to remember more of the visual components of the art, when compared to people who did not take photos. Dr. Barasch offers an interesting hypothesis: while looking for something to take a picture of, you actually encode the visual information more accurately into your long-term memory. However, the photo-takers didn't remember as much of the auditory information they were given, which is due to the fact that taking photos pulls attention from your other senses, like hearing. "the process of looking around for what to photograph actually causes you to encode visual content and remember it" However, the photo-takers did not remember as much of the auditory information they were given, which is due to the fact that taking photos pulls attention from your other senses, like hearing.
There is one thing to be cautious of. If you are taking a picture with the sole purpose of impressing people on Instagram or Snapchat, you are actually less likely to remember key visual details because you are filled with the anxiety of trying to get a great picture for likes and comments, instead of trying to remember the moment. Be sure to take pictures for your own satisfaction, not for other people's. This is a significant discovery for all those out there with parents like mine. Next time you're at a game, concert, or just hanging out watching a sunset, take a photo for yourself so that you remember it better. And if someone tries to tell you to that "you're losing the moment" for taking a picture– well, know you know that you'll remember it for longer than they do. APA Citation: Yin, S. (2017, August 18). Taking Photos Won't Take You Out of the Moment, Study Suggests. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/science/living-in-the-moment-taking-photos.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection Sunset Photo- https://www.flickr.com/photos/brucenmurray/31132018154 Camera Photo- http://clipartmag.com/camera-flash-clipart Original Article- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/science/living-in-the-moment-taking-photos.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FPsychology%20and%20Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=search&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
All
Archives
November 2019
|