We are Designed to Forget - So...Why Do We Remember ? Vol. 1, No. 8
Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold On to What Matters by Charan Ranganath, Ph.D. (2024)
Preface to Book Review:
I am often “accused” of having a good memory for details of events in my life that go back…way back…to early childhood growing up in south Florida (Atlantic side) and then onward through the life course. And yet, I am on constant vigilance now - trying not to forget - a hundred things (well, OK the list is about 10 ten things) that need to be dealt with in any given day. Especially leaving home for awhile for travel: don’t forget this or that for the trip, but also make sure this or that is squared away at home before we go. But I am sure I forgot something, I am just not sure…what (?)
I can remember exact details of my grandparents home in Lake Worth - the backyard full of grapefruit and mango trees. Or my second grade classroom at Prien Lake Elementary School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. But then: What was the name of the Netflix movie I just saw last week?…You would like it, but the name of it escapes my “memory.” I’ll get back to you on that.
When I think of memory - right now - while typing this out - I thought of the book Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov (first edition in 1951, and revised extended in 1966). And then the song Memory - which I associate with Barbara Streisand but there is more to this and memory served me wrong on so many counts. Yes - she sang that song which was actually one song part of the album title Memories (1981) and became more of hit song in 1982, but that song Memory has deeper (?) (or strange and ironic) origins. I did not know that…or did I? Should I have? Really?… the song Memory - and - T. S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the musical Cats? Moving on…and then remembered the collection of memories that was actually an interview by the filmmaker Errol Morris and the documentary, The Pigeon Tunnel, about the life of spy novelist John le Carré, which served as gateway back again to the book The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John le Carré (2016). What is the point here? After watching the documentary by Errol Morris, the viewer began to wonder if John le Carré (the pen name for David Cornwell) was staging a great set up for the audience and left wondering what was the real truth of David Cornwell’s life, and to what extent were the novels (as fiction) closer to the truth (or not), and were the memories in the documentary - things that really happened? Or close to it? Or a bit of fiction and truth? Could someone create a quasi-fictional account of their life through writing of novels? Who exactly was Errol Morris interviewing? Memories become stories. Stories become embellished, pruned, expanded, selective. And so on.
Alright. Enough…to the book…
Book review:
Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold On to What Matters by Charan Ranganath, Ph.D. (2024)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is written in an engaging style and easy to digest as you make way through the informative and instructive manner of writing by Ranganath. And like the premise of the book which is made clear at the beginning: this is not another book on “how to remember everything.” Excellent. Because be careful what you would wish for - with the lesson (if you recall - not a pun) Jorge Luis Borge’s story: "Funes the Memorious" which is the tale of one Ireneo Funes, who, after falling off his horse and receiving a bad head injury, acquired the amazing talent—or curse—of remembering absolutely everything.
In the introduction I am reminded that I am a “remembering self” but we should not take that as something automatic or as the default mode for a human being. Rather, it takes effort for memory to be processed and made accessible. I think this quote is a good start,
“Severe memory loss is undoubtedly debilitating, but our most typical complaints and worries about everyday forgetting are largely driven by deeply rooted misconceptions. Contrary to popular belief, the most important message to come from the science of memory is not that can over even should remember more. The problem isn’t memory, its that we have the wrong expectations for what memory is for in the first place…We are not supposed to remember everything from our past…So instead of asking, “Why do I keep forget?” we should really be asking, “Why do we remember?” (p. 4).
In Chapter 1 Ranganath reminded the reader that as humans we receive a fire-hose of information every day, every week, month, and year…year after year…to which our brain is supposed to sort it all out and create “storage” for such experiences that we encounter over time. And if we start from the from the premise that “we are designed to forget” (p. 13), then how is it - that remember anything at all? Ranganath offered that our neurons for “assemblies” or “coalitions” to strengthen some pathways for memories - over and above other pathways to help with memory formation, but the there is a lot of competition going in in our brain for what coalitions will be established (or not) (competition = “interference”) and interference is the culprit behind a lot of everyday forgetting (p. 17). There can be (sometimes) too much interference - or “noise” that feeds into the demand for attention and we lose track - by the multitude of distractions. Ranganath then proposes one of the ways to overcome attention overload is to key in on intention (p. 19) which is the focus on something that is unique to that specific time and place as to (as example) where you placed your keys (e.g., near the stack of mail or the countertop that has the green color). This “mindful” (mindful - uh oh there is that word again) intention can help us, “combat our brain’s natural inclination to tune out things we do routinely and build more distinctive memories that have a fighting chance against all the interfering clamor.” (p. 19)
Ranganath reviews the literature (not excessively, but rather in a supportive style) about the importance of the prefrontal cortex in memory formation and presented a more current and balanced perspective to memory studies in regards to the role of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. So while the prefrontal cortex is a marvel for brain development - there are some problem areas to consider, like the role of aging. Ranganath said that (and I took notice of this one!) with aging there is an increased tendency to recall the inane at the expense of the important (ouch). Studies have shown that older adults are worse than younger adults at remembering things when they are required to pay attention and ignore distractions, but they can be as good as, or occasionally even better than, younger adults at remembering the distracting information. Well, that sounds like two strikes to me: easily distracted and then remembering primarily the stuff that distracted me in the first place. Now where was I?
Ranganath also said that regardless of age - we live in a world of increasing distractions. And then this: “there is no shortage of factors that can make you feel as though your prefrontal cortex is fried.” (p. 26). And the culprit is…[opening the envelope]…multitasking. But many people claim they are good at multitasking - but Ranganath says it has a big consequence: all of that…impairs memory. What else can affect the prefrontal cortex? Health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, “long Covid”, sleep deprivation, and (of course) stress.
What I liked in this book was the focus on the qualitative over the quantitative when it comes to valuing the role of memory. That is, rather than trying to emphasize to remember more, “we can embrace that we are designed to forget and use intention to guide out attention so we can remember what matters” (p. 28).
Ranganath offered a bit of philosophical and scientific perspective to the role of memory in relation to the human brain and the existential dimension of Being: “Life is short. The transient nature of memory can make life seem much shorter. We tend to think of memory as something that allows us to hold on to the past, when in fact the human brain was designed to be more than an archive of our experiences…Forgetting isn’t a failure of memory; it’s a consequence of processes that allow our brain to prioritize information that helps us navigate and make sense of the world. We can play an active role in managing forgetting by making mindful choices in the present to curate a rich set of memories to take with us into the future.” (p. 30).
When I read this passage in the book, two connections (from memory?) immediately clicked with (for) me: 1) I thought of Greek mythology and the role of the river Lethe - the river of forgetfulness in the underworld. Here is a painting reference: The Waters of Lethe by the Plains of Elysium. And then comparing that myth to the goddess of memory - Mnemosyne - who is also mother of the nine Muses. Here is the painting by Gabriel Dante Rossetti of Mnemosyne {click on image for external link}
2) then there is the song that my memory lit up and I can hear the song and the lyrics right now in my head, but I associate it with my getting through my freshman year in college and holding down a landscaping job that summer in 1975. The song is Holdin’ on Yesterday by Ambrosia (1975).
Speaking of Holdin’ On to Yesterday, I liked the writing style in which Ranganath explained the role of the hippocampus (which organizes memories according to the context - thus time and place issues) as a “mental time-machine” part of the brain to recall an event, but also a series of related events that were part of the web of experiences in that context. The individual is carried back and forth “in time” and we don’t need a wonky DeLorean to do it.” (p. 40) {Back to the Future - reference}. But to be clear - the hippocampus does not time/place stamp anything to specific point or have GPS coordinates built in - it seems to “track time by capturing changes in the world around us” (p. 42). Ranganath suggested that Context is everything in episodic memories and music is a powerful cue for episodic memories. I would agree with this assessment, in that, my own memory “banks” are opened up with hearing a song from my past such that I can remember time/place when I either first heard the song or associated with some significant event. Or maybe not so significant: When I worked at a local grocery store (but a behemoth in square footage) in Lake Charles to pay the bills for college, I was hired on to empty out the tractor/trailers on the weekend to unload the boxes, and then to work late nights to stock the shelves. At night after store closed, the crew went to work, and we could hook into the store speakers with an 8-track stereo system. The only 8-track tape that we could find - and thus played over and over and over again - every night…was the Boston (1976) album and so even today that music had burned into my hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. And I know It Was More Than a Feeling - this was about the rote mechanical stocking of shelves and hearing music that simply melted into the evening - Yes…it was A Long Time. Even today (2024), I hear that music, I am transported right back to that store and I see me - in the late night hours wondering if I would ever get through college and graduate.
Chapter 3 quote: “The human brain is not a memorization machine; it’s a thinking machine.” (p. 56).
Chapter 4 quote: “Why Remembering is Inextricably Linked With Imagination.”
Chapter 5 quote: “Why Our Memories Are Different From the Feelings We Have About Them.” And the title of this Chapter was “More Than A Feeling” - Hey! I was just writing about that above…I was happy to see that…as I write these notes as I read through the book chapter by chapter. Ranganath examined the role of neuromodulators in memory formation, but then Ranganath also went there »»> my friend the amygdala. I have a “complicated relationship” with my amygdala…it is a nuclear reactor in my brain. I know the role of it and that it is tucked in there (in the brain) along with the hippocampus, temporal lobes…waiting to flood the zone. That is…my body system with jet fuel and after-burners, even as I “ask” the prefrontal cortex - just don’t sit there, get in there and do something about that runaway train…but alas, I have to wait for the tide to turn, and then the “cool” reasoning sets in {post-hoc}…later, always later.
Chapter 6 quote: (yes! a Steven Wright zinger) “Right now, I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.” (Steven Wright). But on a more serious level, Ranganath in this chapter covers the importance of the hippocampus in helping humans to predict the future, explore new surroundings, works with the prefrontal cortex do determine, “What is it?” reflex as we encounter new and unexpected objects in our environment. Ranganath notes that openness to experience (related to the hippocampus) is also connected to the role of curiosity and good predictor of learning.
Ranganath ends with a nice section of the book dedicated to the “Implications” of his research and findings from other scholars on memory. And I was pleased to see (and I have to admit I forgot about this angle to popular culture - and film) a quote from the movie - Blade Runner - which is an incredible film (1982; Final Cut - 2007) {in my top 10 of all time) and if you will recall memories played an important role in the production and “life-like quality” of replicants, even if the replicants were given “somebody else’s.” Blade Runner (the film released in 1982 was set into the “future” of 2019 which has already passed, while Blade Runner: 2049 was released in 2017 and set in 2049 which is still 25 years from this year.
For those who like to take “naps” during the day, good news: Sleep is a big factor in memory formation, learning, and this jumped out at me: “Sleep can allow us to convert memory into wisdom.” (p. 170). There are also significant implications that relate to collaborating learning with a partner/spouse especially in relation to memory disorders and cognitive decline. (pp. 182-184).
Finally this: Ranganath proposes that we may benefit form a new perspective that humans, as they development across the life course, experience different kinds of memory strengths with episodic memory as critical in childhood and young adulthood, and then into mid and later life - semantic memory takes on greater importance related to the sharing of life experiences for the benefit of younger generations. Ranganath provided a robust concluding paragraph to the purpose of the book and how it can change our perspective of memories:
“When we treat memory as if it should be a literal record of the past, we end up with unrealistic expectations and are left feeling perpetually frustrated. We remain prisoners of an incomplete past…Only when we start to peek behind the veil of the ‘remembering self’ do we get a glimpse of the pervasive role of memory plays in every aspect of the human experience…” (p. 194).
This is a unique and rare book of science written in such way that has easy accessibility for the general reading public, but grounded in recent research. The implications are both practical and reassuring in regards to memory formation, forgetting, and the positive message of focusing on what is important in remembering (the qualitative), not just remembering more information thrown at us every day.
“Holding on to what matters”…is the key here. The signal in all that noise. Even as it seems that river of life has a lot of gravel in it, one can cherish “gold nuggets of experience” - and remembering those as a part of the human condition. I thought it is fitting to think of haiku at the end point of this book review with learning, memory, and what is important…
I write, erase, rewrite
Erase again, and then
A poppy blooms.
- Katsushika Hokusai
This was a very interesting and informative essay. I am very grateful to the author for shearing his thoughts with us.