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"If you still feel choked up (or sweaty with rage) every time you think about your ex, you&amp;amp;#8217;re going to want to read about this way you might possibly be able to alter your memory. In a fascinating article from NPR, memory researcher Malcolm MacLeod has been experimenting with ways people might improve their memories&amp;amp;#133;only not to remember more, as is typically done with memory research, but to improve their ability to forget. In sum, participants were asked to generate a memory in response to each of 24 words, like &amp;amp;#8220;barbecue&amp;amp;#8221; or &amp;amp;#8220;theater&amp;amp;#8221; and given a transcript of their memory description. Later, they were asked to view the words in either red or green, and if the word was in red, they were instructed not to think about the memory associated with it. Afterward, in testing on the memories that had been repeatedly blocked, people showed a 12 percent drop in level of details remembered. And most importantly, while people didn&amp;amp;#8217;t forget what happened, they began to lose the personal meaning associated with the memory. For instance, a girl who recalled a memory of being made fun of for wearing too-short trousers to school (ah, traumatic flashbacks of youth!) forgot that she had said it made her feel very self-conscious. Whether or not the effects are long term or can be practically applied, the researchers don&amp;amp;#8217;t know yet. And of course, this could apply to all kinds of memories, but wouldn&amp;amp;#8217;t it be interesting in the context of forgetting your painful romantic memories? Sort of like a less dramatic and life-changing version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. While I kind of think that where relationships are concerned, bad memories in the past probably help you learn and move forward in your future, I can&amp;#x27;t say I&amp;#x27;m not tempted to start trying to train myself to disassociate some of the pain I still carry around from being dumped. But what do you think.... Would you want to get rid of some painful memories from your past if you could? Which ones? Or would you rather remember as much as you can and learn from it? More on memories, but good ones: *Dear Boyfriends, Thanks for the Memories and the Music *Love Letters: Set Adrift on Memory Bliss *Sex Tips: Take a Hot Walk Down Memory Lane Photo: Thinkstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2012/09/would-you-ever-want-to-forget>