As people get older, they might think they have "good" and "bad" days for memory. However, this may not be the case as often as they believe.
A small new study in the journal Psychological Science shows that our memory doesn't really fluctuate all that much day to day -- or even within a day -- and that this is especially the case for older adults.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Develpoment, involved 200 people who fell into one of two age categories: 20 to 31, and 65 to 80. Researchers tested their memory with different kinds of tasks multiple times over 100 days.
They found that people in the older group actually had less variability in their performance on the memory and cognitive tasks compared with people in the younger group. Plus, their performance was more consistent than the younger group.
"Further analyses indicate that the older adults’ higher consistency is due to learned strategies to solve the task, a constantly high motivation level, as well as a balanced daily routine and stable mood," study researcher Florian Schmiedek said in a statement.
Similarly, a recent poll from Trending Machine showed that millenials are actually more likely than older people to have lapses in memory, and more likely to forget where their keys are, what day it is, and to bring their lunch.