Why can't you remember things before the age of three or four

Have you ever wondered why we can hardly remember our experiences before the age of three? The stories of "you loved this toy when you were a child" repeatedly told by adults are actually blank in our minds. This phenomenon has a professional term called 'childhood amnesia', but don't worry, it's not a disease, but a natural phenomenon in the process of brain development.

1. The memory system is not fully developed

1. The hippocampus is still under construction

The hippocampus, which is responsible for memory storage, does not mature until 3-4 years old. Just like a newly purchased phone needs to be initialized, the brains of infants and young children are also busy building hardware facilities for memory storage.

2. Neural connections are being pruned

The number of neural connections in the infant brain is twice that of adults, and these redundant connections are gradually pruned during growth. This process of "disconnection and separation" will cover early memory traces.

2. Language ability affects memory encoding

1. Lack of narrative tools

Memory requires language to encode and organize. When children don't know how to use words like 'yesterday' and 'park', experiences are like scattered beads that cannot be connected.

2. Self awareness has not yet formed

Memory requires the "self" as the protagonist. Children before the age of 2 cannot distinguish between "me" and the outside world, making it difficult for them to form self-centered memories.

3. Immature memory retrieval mechanism

1. Unestablished retrieval path

Adult memory is like a library with a complete classification retrieval system. And the memory of infants and young children is more like a randomly stacked folder, difficult to access accurately.

2. Memory consolidation requires sleep

Deep sleep is crucial for memory consolidation. However, infants and young children have a short sleep cycle and a high proportion of rapid eye movement sleep, which is not conducive to long-term memory formation.

4. Are those "remembered" childhood memories reliable?

1. It may be reconstructed memories.

Many so-called "childhood memories" are actually reconstructed later based on photos or family stories. Research has found that people's earliest true memories average around 3 and a half years old.

2. Emotional memory is more lasting

Strong emotional experiences may break through memory barriers. For example, experiences that are particularly happy or scared may leave a vague impression.

Next time when an elder tells you a funny story from your childhood but has no memory of it, don't doubt your memory. Those vanished childhood memories are actually badges of brain development. Do you now understand why parenting experts always emphasize taking more photos and videos of children? These images will become precious windows for children to understand themselves in the future.