Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD

Do you ever have days when you wake up and everything seems wrong with the world? Hopefully for most of these types of days are not the norm but the exception. However, there are some people who see everything as ‘half-empty’ instead of ‘half-full. Using cutting-edge psychological research, I am interested in finding out if it really matters–Does it matter if we see the glass as half-empty?

We are on the cusp of a new revolution in intelligence that affects every aspect of our lives from work and relationships, to our childhood, education, and old age. Working Memory, the ability to remember and mentally process information, is so important that without it we could not function as a society or as individuals. One way to visualise working memory is as the brain’s “Post-it Note”: we make mental scribbles of bits of information we need to remember and work with. For example, we use working memory to remember directions while driving or someone’s name and phone number. Without it, we would be literally lost; we wouldn’t know how to get to that important meeting and would forget important contacts. Working memory is critical for many activities at school, from complex subjects such as reading comprehension, mental arithmetic, and word problems to simple tasks like copying from the board and navigating the halls.

Working memory makes a difference beyond the classroom walls as well. People with superior working memory tend to have better jobs, better relationships, and more happy and fulfilling lives. People with poor working memory struggle in their work, their personal lives, and are more likely to experience trouble with the law. More recently, a growing number of studies demonstrate that working memory is also important for our mental health. In a recent study that I conducted with 20-year-olds, I found that people who view the glass as half-empty but have good working memory are less likely to suffer depression compared to those who view the glass as half-empty and have low working memory. So while we may think that seeing the glass as half-empty, having good working memory acts like a buffer to protect our mental health.

What about you? What does your working memory tell you about your world-view? Why not find out by participating in an online study. Here is what you will have to do:

Take some memory tests: Don’t worry, I don’t want to know how often you forget where you left your car keys or if you can remember your loved one’s birthday. You will have to do something much easier. You will see some shapes and just have to remember where you saw them on a grid.

Next, tell me your views about different sentences, like “I felt hopeful about the future”; or  ”I was bothered by things that don’t usually bother me”.

There is also a Memory board where you can tell more me more different strategies that you use to keep your memory alert.

PARTICIPATE NOW