ArticleScientific reports2024
Unique events improve episodic richness, enhance mood, and alter the perception of time during isolation.
Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Memory in the Palm of Your Hand: Smartphone-based Methods for Measuring Memory in the Wild.Journal of cognitive neuroscience · 2026Article
- Article
- Rich autobiographical memory benefits from both novelty and similarity to other daily experiences.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Rich autobiographical memory recall benefits from both novelty and similarity to other daily experiences.Research square · 2025Article
- Smartphone Usage Patterns and Sleep Behavior in Demographic Groups: Retrospective Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Living in isolation is associated with a lack of stimulating experiences, which negatively impacts quality of life and increases risk of advancing cognitive decline for older adults. We examined how engaging in unique events would enhance memory and improve well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, a period characterized by social isolation and monotonous daily experiences lacking diversity. Over 8-weeks during lockdowns, 18 healthy older adults used a smartphone-based application called "HippoCamera", capturing a total of 670 unique and routine events with short audio-video cues that were later replayed to prompt memory. As expected, unique events were recalled in greater episodic detail relative to routine events. Importantly, unique events were related to increased positive affect, decreased boredom, and the perception of time moving faster. These findings highlight the benefit of unique experiences for both memory and well-being, as well as suggest future interventions to benefit older adults who tend to experience higher levels of social isolation.
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Registered trials
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