For many students, myself included, the holidays bring reunions with various family members. Recently, I asked my grandparents some questions about their past experiences, and I noticed the periods they could remember in the most detail were overwhelmingly childhood and young adulthood.

This is a widespread phenomenon, and one which has been mirrored in media too: we’ve all heard jokes about how elderly people like to talk about the ‘good old days’. As you age, your youth shrinks further into the past than middle age and beyond, so why is it seemingly better remembered?

The ‘reminiscence bump’ is an extensively researched characteristic of autobiographical memories. It refers to the tendency for those in later middle-age or old age to more readily access memories from between the ages of 10-30. Studies where people have been asked to recall memories from word cues or important events in their life have clearly identified it. Of course, there remains a lot of individual variation.

“It may rely on research which suggests that novel experiences reinforce memory formation”

So why is this the case? There are a few theories. First, a lack of memories from very young childhood is likely explained by childhood amnesia. Fewer memories are formed below the age of around 8 due to an underdeveloped brain which cannot consolidate memory as efficiently as an adult’s. But regarding why the reminiscence bump exists in youth and not middle age, it may rely on research which suggests that novel experiences reinforce memory formation.

For most people, adolescence is a period of life during which they encounter many new experiences. It coincides with leaving school and entering full-time work or further study for the first time, potentially meeting a lot of new people, maybe moving away from home and likely doing things which you have never done before. It is also thought that with the maturation of the brain in adolescence and early adulthood comes a better ability to form and consolidate memories. This functioning is therefore maximised around this age. And finally, despite more time passing, an older person has simply had more chances to recall and consolidate memories from youth than from later in life.

“An older person has simply had more chances to recall and consolidate memories from youth than from later in life”

The other main theory is based on a ‘life script’. This is particularly supported by the studies which still identified a clear peak when participants were prompted to recall significant life events. Perhaps this period is more memorable because events are narratively important. They had a big impact on personal development and played a larger role in defining who the person became.

In reality, the reminiscence bump is most likely due to a combination of factors. My grandma remembers childhood best while my grandpa most often refers to memories from his thirties, but this is when he attended university as a mature student and played an instrument for the first time. Research suggests periods of novelty are not only remembered better, but time is perceived to pass slower compared to periods of routine.

Perhaps the secret to eternal youth lies not in a fountain or a luxury ointment, but in the willingness to try new things. Next time you see your grandparents or any older family members, maybe ask them about what events they think defined them. They may choose something in adolescence, and they may not, but you’ll definitely feel closer to them for learning more about their past.