Both short-term and long-term memory are really important to daily life, your health and happiness. Here, we discuss the differences between short-term and long-term memory, how they both work, and the impacts of aging.
We also reveal our science-backed method for boosting your memory through brain training here at Evolve Brain Training. A number of studies suggest that training your brain can significantly reduce your risk of age-related memory loss.
In Focus
- Short-term memory is temporary by design, but long-term memory is vast and permanent.
- Together, both play a part in essential daily tasks.
- Healthy habits and neurofeedback therapy can support both short-term and long-term memory performance.
Table of Contents
What Is Short-Term Memory vs Long-Term Memory?
Do you ever wonder how you can remember what your 10th birthday cake looked like, but you need to write a list to remember your groceries? The answer lies in how memory works and the way different types of memory are stored.
What Is Short-Term Memory?
Think of short-term memory as a small, temporary storage space. It’s designed to hold information for a few minutes at most, and after that, the information is either lost or stored in your long-term memory.
You might use your short-term memory to remember which ingredients you have added to a recipe while you cook, for example, but you probably won’t remember the exact ingredients of that recipe a week or two later.
Short-term memory and working memory are terms sometimes used interchangeably, although they are not exactly the same. Working memory is the active processing of snippets of information from short-term memory, such as remembering digits as you complete a quick sum without a calculator.
What Is Long-Term Memory?
Long-term memory is the permanent storage in your brain, and it has unlimited space. Think of it like an archive. Memories can last a lifetime within your long-term memory, although as you get older, you may find it harder to access some memories.
If you can remember your best friend from school’s address, then that is because it is permanently banked in your long-term memory, even though you no longer need it.
There are actually more than one type of long-term memory. Semantic memory is the type of memory necessary for remembering facts, meanings, and general knowledge, such as what words mean or what people look like. Episodic memory involves memories of personal experiences and past events.
Key Differences Between Short-Term and Long-Term Memory
The core differences between short-term and long-term memory center on durability, capacity, stability and the brain regions involved. They play different roles in your everyday activities, too.
| Aspect | Short-Term Memory | Long-Term Memory |
| Duration | Seconds to a few minutes | Minutes to indefinite |
| Capacity | 7+/-2 simple items | Vast |
| Part of the Brain | Prefrontal cortex | Cerebral cortex |
| Stability | Fragile | Stable |
| Role | Processing in the moment | Knowledge and experience |
Duration and Capacity
The major difference between short and long-term memory is how much they can store and for how long. Psychologists have found that most people can remember about 7 simple items, such as numbers or letters, at a time, with a typical range of 5 to 9, using their working memory.
Your long-term memory holds everything you remember from more than a minute ago.
Part of the Brain
Your short and long-term memory use different parts of the brain. Short-term memory lives in the prefrontal cortex, right behind your forehead. The hippocampus is the area responsible for converting short-term memories into long-term memories, which are then stored in the cerebral cortex, the gray matter on the outside of your brain.
Stability
Short-term memory is very fragile. Unless you consolidate information by repeating or rehearsing it and locking it into long-term memory, it will be lost.
Long-term memory is more stable, but long-term memories are not stored equally. Some are hard to access, like items buried at the back of the cupboard. Others can be accessed instantly. This is usually down to how often you access the information and reconsolidate the memory.
Role
Both short-term and long-term memory are essential. You need short-term memory to process the words you hear or read, work through a task or solve a problem, for example. Long-term memory is vital for studying, storing your personal history, making informed decisions, and much more.
Long-Term and Short-Term Memory Examples
Short-term memory is most useful for attention and cognition. Here are some examples of its uses:
- Following instructions, like a recipe, by remembering which step you are on
- Remembering the start of a sentence so you can comprehend the whole sentence
- Holding a phone number in your head while you find a pen to jot it down.
Examples of long-term memory use include:
- Storing emotionally important memories of a specific time in vivid detail, like a wedding or the birth of a child
- Remembering procedures, like how to ride a bike or play the piano, so they become automatic
- Storing facts and figures needed for work and study, like times tables or specifications for a product you sell
- Remembering daily routines and functions, like turning off the lights before you go to bed.
How Information Transfers From Short-Term to Long-Term Memory
Whether information is moved to long-term memory depends on a few factors, including repetition, emotional significance, obvious connections to other information, and even the quality of your sleep.
Some memories tend to stick better than others. Our brains are continually assessing what to preserve and what to let go of, largely overnight. During sleep, our brains sort through new information and consolidate memories. This process becomes less efficient with age, which is why it can feel harder to remember things as you get older.
Neurofeedback for memory training can improve memory recall and enhance information retention by promoting and rewarding healthy brain activity.
Frequently Asked Questions About Memory
What causes long-term memory loss? ▼
Long-term memory loss can result from aging, neurological conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, chronic stress, or poor sleep. Lifestyle factors, including nutritional deficiencies, can also impair memory over time. In some cases, emotional trauma may suppress access to certain memories as a protective response.
What diseases affect memory? ▼
Several conditions can significantly affect memory. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common, progressively impairing both short-term and long-term memory. Other forms of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and depression can also disrupt memory function.
Can memory be trained or expanded over time? ▼
Yes, memory can be improved with consistent training. The brain retains a degree of neuroplasticity throughout life, meaning it can form new connections and adapt in response to learning and stimulation.
Memory Improvement With Evolve Brain Training
In our neurofeedback sessions, all you need to do is sit back, relax and watch a show of your choice. While you watch, your brain activity is monitored by non-invasive EEG sensors. Whenever your brain demonstrates healthy activity, you will be rewarded with better audio-visual quality.
This simple but highly effective neurofeedback training helps healthy brain activity become a habit, enabling you to process new information more efficiently.
To learn more about how neurofeedback therapy can help you, contact us today.
Dr. Upasana Gala is the founder and CEO of Evolve Brain Training, a Neurofeedback-centered institute that focuses on using non-invasive brain training techniques to maximize the brain’s true potential.