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Loading... Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters (2024)by Charan Ranganath
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Memory is not a literal record of the past, it changes over time, and combines knowledge of facts and recall of experiences I read this book probably more quickly than I should have if the purpose was to study modern psychological insights, largely derived from fMRI imaging, about the function of memory. Ranganath is fluid writer, sharing personal anecdotes while describing psychological experiments that have clarified the role of the hippocampus, perirhinal and prefrontal cortex in memory. The prefrontal cortex is paramount to retrieval of semantic information, finding the names of things and people, and organizing motor processes. The hippocampus and perirhinal cortex store images, sounds and smells that are linked to the emotional states that existed at the time of the event. Episodic memory makes things and places familiar, and familiarity enables rapid recognition of things out of place and potentially dangerous. Stress generally reduces, and rest generally increases, the ability to remember information and experiences. Quotes: page 103 - Attributed to Steven Wright "Right now, I'm having amnesia and deja vue at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before." page 112: "In cryptomnesia, sometimes referred to as unconscious plagerism, the brain mistakes a 'forgotten' memory for an original thought or idea." page 183: "Some findings even suggest that as couples age together, they become more cognitively interdependent and share a similar trajectory of mental abilities" page 141: "Consequently, every time we recall an experience, what we remember is suffused with the residual of the last time we remembered it. And on it goes; each step is one link in a neural chain subject to edits and updates, so that, over time, our memories can drift further and further from the initial event." page 160: "Error-driven learning is a well-established principle in the brain's motor system - that is, many neuroscientists believe that we learn how to make skilled movements by observing the difference between what we intend to do and what we actually do." Fascinating look at the world of memory - the research and the neurology behind it all. I was introduced to a number of new ideas: the interplay between memory and imagination, how the sense of familiarity contributes to retrieval, the orienting response, how memories are constantly updating to reflect recent experiences, retrieval-induced forgetting and retrieval-induced facilitation, and how sleep is tied to memory. Best of all, the book is reassuring to this older reader, as much forgetfulness is a normal function of the human brain. There is much more in this dense volume. This is one book worth the re-read.
“Why do our most emotionally intense experiences—times when we were livid with anger, petrified with fear, or in shock from witnessing something terrible—seem to be indelible in memory? The answer to that question is fundamental to the very reason we evolved the capability to remember: our memories hold the key to our survival. “As we've learned, the brain is constantly prioritizing what it thinks is important and letting us forget what isn't. So, it makes sense that we tend to remember the events associated with intense emotions, but that's only part of the story. Emotions, the conscious feelings we experience based on myriad combinations of internal and situational factors, are central to the human experience, but in and of themselves they aren't necessarily important for our survival—feeling a little guilty or embarrassed isn't going to put food on the table or a roof over your head. Rather, the critical influence of emotional experiences on memory has to do with what neuroscientist Joe LeDoux calls survival circuits. “Our emotions, as well as the actions and choices they influence, are shaped by basic survival circuits in the brain that motivate us to avoid threats, find sustenance, and reproduce. When these circuits go into overdrive, we tend to experience intense emotions, such as elation, lust, panic, anxiety, or disgust. It makes perfect sense that these are experiences we remember most vividly. Events that intensely activate our survival circuits are worth remembering because they usually provide valuable information that we can use in the future to stay safe, thrive, and reproduce. We might not have survived as a species if our cave-dwelling ancestors hadn't found encounters with saber-toothed tigers to be particularly memorable. “When a survival circuit in the brain gets revved up, say by the terror of a face-to-face encounter with a predator, or the joy of holding. your child in your arms for the first time, your brain gets flooded with neuromodulators. Neuromodulators are chemicals that influence the functioning of neurons, but they don't simply increase or decrease neural activity. Neuromodulators have more complex effects that fundamentally change how neurons process information. Some neuromodulators are like the hot sauce on your tacos-they change the flavor, add heat, and cause us to sit up and pay attention. Neuromodulators also promote plasticity, meaning they enable significant, long-lasting changes in the connections between neurons in the cell assemblies that are activated when we learn something new. “Noradrenaline (also known as norepinephrine) is one well-studied neuromodulator that influences how we learn and remember. You've probably heard of the fight-or-flight response. When we experience threats, the adrenal glands mobilize us into action by pumping out adrenaline, which raises our heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. Noradrenaline, in turn, is released all over the brain. Adrenaline and noradrenaline are the chemical costars of the fight-or-flight response, contributing to the feelings of arousal and immediacy you might experience if you go bungee jumping or get into a shouting match with a driver who cut you off.
"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"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)153.1200Philosophy and Psychology Psychology Cognition And Memory Learning, Memory, And Motivation MemoryRatingAverage:
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Another must read book if you want to understand what you are! ( )