Douwe Draaisma is a Dutch psychologist and Professor at the University of Groningen. He writes about how the memory of our brain works and what we can do with our memory to make our lives better.

I ran across his article in German as “Das Geheimnis eines langen glücklichen Lebens” in the current edition of the woman’s magazine Brigitte (12/2011) which my wife obtained for me, knowing my interest in the subject. See also Draaisma and Unser Leben ist Erinnerung (Our Life is Memory) at Brigitte-woman online.

What Draaisma writes about is among the most important of all subjects: our memory, our life, and how we can make it better, and even extend it, happily, by living more courageously and opening ourselves to new experiences. Happiness is a matter of the moment! Sound familiar?

Draaisma writes that almost everyone remembers their first 18 years of life about as well as all the rest of the years of life put together. Why is that so?

The key is that everything is new when we are young, whereas things become “old hat” as we grow older.

Experiencing new things in later life keeps our brain young.

Draaisma says that a long and happy life can more likely be achieved if we change our patterns of behavior and live more courageously, yes, even wilder, as we grow older. Most people do the reverse.

It has to do with how our MEMORY functions. That is why holidays away from our own four walls can be so refreshing. Our brain needs new inputs and our nerves need new surprises. How about an adventure vacation? Absolutely.

Repetition, on the other hand, compresses time and shortens our life.

To lengthen our life, we must get out of our routines and do new things.