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Memory

Memory is a crucial part of human identity. Maybe you think of it as just "a record of stuff that happened," but if you don't know where you've been, you can't know who you are or where you're going.

There are several types of memory: memory for events, for facts, for how to do things, and working memory, which holds ideas in our head just long enough to turn them over. They're all malleable, and they're all mysterious, which you don't really realize until they fail you.

Everyday Errors

The Seven Sins of Memory

Memory can mess with your head.

by Daniel Schacter

It's magical. It's malleable. It's... memory

The ambiguities and paradoxes of memory.

by Jill Neimark

Are All Memoirs Fiction?

Searching for the elusive non-fiction memoir.

by Nicole Dudukovic, Ph.D. in Remember the Alamo

What do you mean you don’t remember?

How the importance of an event affects memory.

by Art Markman, Ph.D. in Ulterior Motives

What is déjà vu?

How can you know you have seen something you haven't?

by Art Markman, Ph.D. in Ulterior Motives

See Also

Out of the Ordinary

Two-Minute Memoir: Total Recall

Meet Jill Price: A woman who never forgets.

by Jill Price,Bart Davis

The Truth About Photographic Memory

It's impossible to recover images with perfect accuracy.

by William Lee Adams

See Also

Memory Boosters

How To Remember Things

Proven strategies to improve your memory

by Alex Lickerman, M.D. in Happiness in this World

Smarts: It's not how much you learn that matters. It's how much you remember.

Half a dozen things to remember about memory.

by Tad Waddington, Ph.D. in Smarts

Brain exercises: Do They Work (chapter 1)

Do the crossword if it makes you happy.  Otherwise, dance.

by Sue Halpern in Can't Remember What I Forgot

Sleep Boosts Memory

Another benefit of a good night's rest: better recall.

by Colin Allen

Erasing Fearful Memories -- Without Drugs

How to Erase Fearful Memories

by Jeff Wise in Extreme Fear

See Also

Memory Tests

Memory Test

Is your brain a sponge or a sieve?
More Tests

The Latest on Memory

Forget dementia! by Dr. Perminder S. Sachdev, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P.
Miss America, make room on the stage for Ms. Senior America by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D.
Are computer games a waste of time or do they help keep your mind active? by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D.
Why we should stop hating on the aughts by Jamil Zaki
Doing the Dishes: A Who-Done-It Mystery Story by Ira Hyman
Scientific research on lineups produces surprising results. by Art Markman, Ph.D.
Recently my Alzheimer’s fears shifted to curiosity and amazement. by Nancy Rappaport, M.D.
How can you know you have seen something you haven't? by Art Markman, Ph.D.
How to Erase Fearful Memories by Jeff Wise
Sometimes things get better--but only later do we know. by Regina Barreca, Ph.D.

Memory Blogs

Current Issue

Heartbreak and Home Runs: The Power of First Experiences

How early life experiences shape our character.