It's like riding a bike, we never forget! Have you ever heard this expression? So, does this claim have any scientific basis or is it just another popular saying?
What we can already say is that actually riding a bike is not one of those tasks that require extra thinking to perform. If the last time you rode a bike was when you were a child, you won't have much trouble riding on two wheels as an adult. Now you will know a little more about the “motor memory”, which is largely responsible for this feat.
Motor memory is not the same one we use to store numbers, remember past events and memorize information. It is located in a region of the brain, the cerebellum, which has a brain structure responsible for storing activities that we train repetitively. The activity “riding a bicycle” is a mechanical action, that is, one that we perform almost without thinking.
So you don't have to be an Einstein to cycle!
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
By Líria Alves
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUZA, Líria Alves de. "“It's like riding a bike, we never forget!”"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/e-como-andar-bicicleta-gente-nunca-esquece.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
