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Why We Remember: Revealing the Hidden Power of Memory

Charan Ranganath

So much of what we think about memory is misguided. The pioneering memory researcher and neuroscientist Dr Charan Ranganath explains what your brain is really up to and reveals the powerful role memory plays in nearly every aspect of our lives.

10 in stock

£10.99
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780571374175
Date Published
02.01.2025

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Summary

THE UNFORGETTABLE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘Popular science at its best: entertaining and thought-provoking.’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘You don’t have to be a victim to your past and the way you used to think . . . A wonderful book.’ DR RANGAN CHATTERJEE

‘A radically new and engaging explanation of how and why we remember.’ MATTHEW WALKER

‘Life-changing.’ SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE

–––

Memory is far more than an archive of the past. This groundbreaking book by a pioneering Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Dr Charan Ranganath, reveals the powerful role memory plays in nearly every aspect of our lives.

Combining fascinating tales of the peculiarities of memory as well as cutting-edge science, Dr Ranganath shows 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 guide our futures. Memory shapes how we experience the world, and it does that in often invisible, active and sometimes destructive ways. Dr Ranganath argues that we can use this knowledge to make better use of our flawed memories, whether in daily tasks like finding our keys or dealing with memory loss as we age. What’s more, when we work with the brain’s ability to learn and reinterpret past events, we can shed our biases, learn faster and heal after grief or trauma. This is a vital, accessible guide to understanding memory’s quirks – and its power.

Critic Reviews

A radically new and engaging explanation of how and why we remember. More than just a record of our past, Dr. Ranganath shows us that memories are deeply involved in the present, and a path toward an anticipated future . . . a tour de force of both individual and collective importance.

Matthew Walker, author of WHY WE SLEEP

Critic Reviews

Just fabulous. There are so many fresh insights about a topic we all deeply care about . . . You learn that you don't have to be a victim to your past and the way you used to think – you have agency because of the fact that the brain can change . . . A wonderful book.

Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Feel Better, Live More podcast

Critic Reviews

Illuminating.

David Marchese, New York Times

Critic Reviews

Popular science at its best: entertaining, thought-provoking and an encouragement to the reader to keep an open mind.

Erica Wagner, Financial Times

Critic Reviews

Clever, insightful and humorous . . . The most significant lesson is that we need not be prisoners to our incompletely remembered past.

Brandy Schillace, Wall Street Journal

Critic Reviews

Entertaining and clarifying . . . vividly paints the intellectual history of the science of memory . . . What’s most compelling about Why We Remember is that it offers a scientifically robust rationale to accept with grace that, no matter what happens in this new world, we will not remember everything we want.

Bina Venkataraman, Washington Post

CharanRanganath

Charan Ranganath is the Director of the Memory and Plasticity Program and a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of California at Davis. He also the Director of the University of California at Davis’ Dynamic Memory Lab, a world-leading research laboratory. Ranganath is a pioneer in the use of brain imaging techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)…

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CharanRanganath

Charan Ranganath