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Why We Remember

By: Charan Ranganath
Narrated by: Mark Deakins, Charan Ranganath
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Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER 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.

"Why We Remember offers a radically new and engaging explanation of how and why we remember."—Dr. Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep

"Prominent neuroscientist and Guggenheim Fellow Charan Ranganath guides us through the science of our memories with incredible insight and clear science. He combines fascinating tales of the peculiarities of memory with practical, actionable steps. Not only will every reader remember better afterward, they’ll also never forget this life-changing book.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of Maladies and Gene

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 story 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.

©2024 Charan Ranganath (P)2024 Random House Audio
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Critic reviews

"In this magnum opus, leading memory researcher Charan Ranganath turns much of what we think we know about memory on its head, revealing through hard evidence that the primary mission of our brain’s memory system is, in many respects, to forget things, in order to prepare us for a changing and uncertain future. Ranganath is a master explainer and storyteller." —Daniel J. Levitin, author of Successful Aging and This Is Your Brain on Music

"This book shows us how understanding the brain can help us change minds for the better. By giving us a clear map of memory, we are better able to take charge of our lives, learn from the mistakes of the past, make better decisions in the present, and positively predict our futures."—Tali Sharot, author of The Optimism Bias and The Influential Mind

​"Why We Remember offers 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. It is a tour de force of both individual and collective importance.”—Dr. Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep

What listeners say about Why We Remember

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Critical Memory

Excellent Subject; relevant research; easy to understand; narrative had great flow and comparable analysis. Thank you!

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Timely, well integrated.

Loaded with information from manu sources and ages. I am applying things learned here now and no doubt for a long time to come.

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What a fantastically written book!

I throughly enjoyed this book. I think you accomplished your goal, if your goal was to explain to the reader "why we remember”. Well done

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Reserearch, storytelling

Excellent work! Makes cognitive science accessible through personal stories, and cites relevant research to help you dive deeper when necessary. Strong recommend.

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Extremely informative

If you are interested in neuroscience or scientific literature, this book is just perfect for you. It has great humor and shows what a true through and through scientific understanding is capable of. A great book if you like cutting-edge science.

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Good on Two Levels

Ranganath does a good job of laying out the differing but complementary roles of the Cortex and Hippocampus, though sometimes he dives a little more deeply into the research underlying his explanation.

For the layman like myself the areas he illuminated best were the degradation of memories over time, False Memories, the impact of memory on Learning, and Social Media’s effect on Memory. His conversational approach and use of storytelling made for an easy read.

Four stars. ****

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Need more examples of how to improve memory

i would have liked charan to have narrated more and also provide more real world examples to prove his point

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Different kinds of memories

I liked following the information about learning the way that memories are laid down and change over time. Learning about ways to study to get the strongest memories was very useful. The section on how to correct fake news by waiting some time after it appears and fact checking it is more effective than fact checking immediately of shortly afterwards

Fake news and real news are often difficult to differentiate. Fact checking is required but should be done when we are recalling the memory and we can correct them as we find out the truth.

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Outstanding read. Deeply informative and helpful for self-improvement, child rearing and teaching.

Outstanding read. Deeply informative and helpful for self-improvement, child rearing and teaching. Outstanding read. Deeply informative and helpful for self-improvement, child rearing and teaching.

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The science

A good read to help understand better the psychology of memory. Interesting stories and ways of learning, thinking and remembering.

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