Memory Quiz: Why Do We Forget?
Medically Reviewed by Jennifer Robinson, MD on August 24, 2022
Question 1/18
Sex can trigger amnesia.
- True
- False
Question 2/18
"Baby brain" may just be a myth.
- True
- False
Question 3/18
You can have memory problems weeks after you smoke marijuana.
- True
- False
Question 4/18
You walk into a house and have déjà vu, the feeling that you’ve been there before. Most likely:
- You visited the house as a baby.
- You remember another house with a similar layout.
- You're remembering a dream you had about the house.
Question 5/18
People start losing brain cells at age:
- 20
- 30
- 40
Question 6/18
Why can you remember song lyrics from 20 years ago, but not someone’s name from last week?
- It’s easier to forget new memories
- Names are tougher to remember
- Songs from our youth tend to stick with us emotionally
- All of the above
Question 7/18
Skip breakfast and you’ll be more likely to:
- Score lower on an IQ test
- Forget the lines of a speech you’re about to give
Question 8/18
Drinking alcohol makes it harder to:
- Convert new memories into long-term ones
- Recall long-term memories from before you started drinking
- Make new short-term memories
Question 9/18
A sudden, high-stress event might boost your memory.
- True
- False
Question 10/18
Antihistamines and sleeping pills can hurt your memory.
- True
- False
Question 11/18
As they approach menopause, women begin losing their memory permanently.
- True
- False
Question 12/18
People who can remember every day of their life:
- Have genius-level IQs
- Have similar brains to most people
- Can’t memorize a string of numbers better than others
Question 13/18
During sleep, your mind is hard at work:
- Introducing new information to your brain
- Firming up memories in your brain
- Accessing memories you’ve made
Question 14/18
Broccoli is a good memory booster.
- True
- False
Question 15/18
Losing your eyesight can lead to memory loss.
- True
- False
Question 16/18
If you have fibromyalgia, your pain may be causing brain fog.
- True
- False
Question 17/18
Crosswords work as memory boosters only if you start by your 30s.
- True
- False
Question 18/18
Tricks for remembering something -- called mnemonic devices -- date back to:
- Ancient Greece
- Medieval England
- The Italian Renaissance