Memory is far more than a record of the past. In this groundbreaking tour of the mind and brain, one of the world’s top memory researchers reveals the powerful role memory plays in nearly every aspect of our lives, from recalling faces and names, to learning, decision-making, trauma and healing.
A new understanding of memory is emerging from the latest scientific research. In Why We Remember, pioneering neuroscientist and psychologist Charan Ranganath radically reframes the way we think about the everyday act of remembering. Combining accessible language with cutting-edge research, he reveals the surprising ways our brains record the past and how we use that information to understand who we are in the present, and to imagine and plan for the future.
Memory, Dr. Ranganath shows, is a highly transformative force that shapes how we experience the world in often invisible and sometimes destructive ways. Knowing this can help us …
Memory is far more than a record of the past. In this groundbreaking tour of the mind and brain, one of the world’s top memory researchers reveals the powerful role memory plays in nearly every aspect of our lives, from recalling faces and names, to learning, decision-making, trauma and healing.
A new understanding of memory is emerging from the latest scientific research. In Why We Remember, pioneering neuroscientist and psychologist Charan Ranganath radically reframes the way we think about the everyday act of remembering. Combining accessible language with cutting-edge research, he reveals the surprising ways our brains record the past and how we use that information to understand who we are in the present, and to imagine and plan for the future.
Memory, Dr. Ranganath shows, is a highly transformative force that shapes how we experience the world in often invisible and sometimes destructive ways. Knowing this can help us with daily remembering tasks, like finding our keys, and with the challenge of memory loss as we age. What’s more, when we work with the brain’s ability to learn and reinterpret past events, we can heal trauma, shed our biases, learn faster, and grow in self-awareness.
Including fascinating studies and examples from pop culture, and drawing on Ranganath’s life as a scientist, father, and child of immigrants, Why We Remember is a captivating read that unveils the hidden role memory plays throughout our lives. When we understand its power– and its quirks–we can cut through the clutter and remember the things we want to remember. We can make freer choices and plan a happier future.
This book gives a good overview of many aspects of memory, focusing mainly on neuroscience but also dabbling in sociology. Ranganath examines the research on this topic at a high level, making this more accessible to the general public but with the trade off that those who want to dig into the science more will be left wanting. The book is at its best when it's connecting different neuroscience studies together, but when it unfortunately ventures into topics like AI or other peripheral fields it gets shaky.
As I've gotten older, I have found it increasingly harder to remember nouns, particularly names. Names of companies in my industry. names of software packages and services I use frequently. My sibling's names. My girlfriend's names.
I didn't read this book with the idea that i would learn how to cure my memory difficulties. Rather, I wanted to understand in a basic way how memory works and if research backs up any method for slowing my decline.
The book solidly walked me through things. It includes descriptions of two kinds of memory: episodic and semantic. Things I experienced and might recall vs. facts I've committed to my store of knowledge. Although my memory of things I've experienced is not great, for some reason that's never bothered me. But losing common facts really makes me anxious.
Although a bit florid, i recommend the book for a mostly understandable explanation of about …
As I've gotten older, I have found it increasingly harder to remember nouns, particularly names. Names of companies in my industry. names of software packages and services I use frequently. My sibling's names. My girlfriend's names.
I didn't read this book with the idea that i would learn how to cure my memory difficulties. Rather, I wanted to understand in a basic way how memory works and if research backs up any method for slowing my decline.
The book solidly walked me through things. It includes descriptions of two kinds of memory: episodic and semantic. Things I experienced and might recall vs. facts I've committed to my store of knowledge. Although my memory of things I've experienced is not great, for some reason that's never bothered me. But losing common facts really makes me anxious.
Although a bit florid, i recommend the book for a mostly understandable explanation of about 300 factors that influence memory.
