Dr. James Mc Gaugh has spent the past 40 years studying how our brain remembers important events. Using rats and humans in experiments, he and Cahill believe they've found the key. For instance, it isn't a fluke you might remember an intense romantic encounter that happened years ago, but not the food you ate yesterday. The answer is physiological. The payoff could be huge, especially for baby boomers who fear their memory is slipping.
Research shows it's all about emotion.
Let's say your experience is very bad or very good. If you're emotionally aroused, your adrenal gland releases two hormones, said Gutierrez. They travel to a part of your brain called the amydala. Your experiences are stored in long-term memory. But that only explains how we store important information.