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How stress changes memory — Level A1 — Various perspectives of a human brain are displayed.

How stress changes memoryCEFR A1

17 Dec 2025

Adapted from Yale, Futurity CC BY 4.0

Photo by Aakash Dhage, Unsplash

Level A1 – Beginner
2 min
83 words
  • Stress changes how people learn new things.
  • Stress can also change what people remember later.
  • The body makes a special stress hormone then.
  • Scientists gave people a small pill before pictures.
  • People looked at pictures while their brain was scanned.
  • They said how each picture made them feel.
  • The next day they tried to remember the same pictures.
  • The study found stress can make emotional memories stronger.
  • The experiment used a blind test to be fair.
  • Brain activity changed quickly during each image.

Difficult words

  • scientistA person who studies and tests things
    Scientists
  • hormoneA chemical the body makes for signals
  • memoryA record of past events or information
    memories
  • emotionalRelating to strong feelings or mood
  • scanTo take a picture of the body or brain
    scanned
  • blind testA way to run a study without bias

Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.

Discussion questions

  • Do you feel stress when you learn new things?
  • Have you ever tried to remember pictures the next day?
  • Do you think a pill can change memory?

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