The Quest for Emotional Wellness No. 6: Emotional Arousal and Memory

Identifying the emotions based around a memory may help identify broad aspects of a memory or event. However, if the event is negative this" flashbulb memory" may skew the information depending on the emotional arousal associated with the memory. Remembering the positive aspects of the event may be helpful in remembering more of the facts. Recent research indicates that positive memories contain more contextual information or data about the event than do unpleasant memories. Caregivers can use this information to help their loved ones recall daily preferences. For example, if someone is searching for words to describe their favorite color, ask this person how this color makes them feel. This may help the emotional arousal associated with the color bring forward enough contextual information to identify the color verbally.