- 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
- scientist — A person who studies and tests thingsScientists
- hormone — A chemical the body makes for signals
- memory — A record of past events or informationmemories
- emotional — Relating to strong feelings or mood
- scan — To take a picture of the body or brainscanned
- blind test — A 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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