We’re always making memories. Some last just a second – like a sound we here once, or a stranger’s face we pass by. Others are stored for only minutes, before getting flushed away. However, some memories stick and form the landmarks we use to navigate our minds.
All types of memories start out the same way. Every experience we have – whether its memory will vanish in a near-instant or remain with us onto our death bed – causes neurons to light up with activity and build build connections, in the form of synapses, with each other.
Each of our experiences causes a unique formation of neurons to come online.