Introduction: Encountering the Remembering Self

Part 1: Basic Principles of Memory

1 Where is my mind?
Why we remember some things and forget others

2 Travelers of Time and Space
How memories transport us to past places and times

3. Organize, reuse, and recycle
Why Remembering Less Makes You Remember More

Part 2: The Invisible Force

4 It's just imagination
Why Memory and Imagination Are Inextricably Linked

5 Feelings and More
Why Feeling About a Memory and Remembering It Are Different

6 Familiar faces all around
Why we learn even though we don't remember

7 Turn around and face the unfamiliar
The process by which memory leads us to something unexpected and new

Part 3 Implications

8 Press the play button and the record button
How the act of recalling a memory changes that memory.

9 Less Pain, More Income
Why You Learn More When You Make Mistakes

10 When we remember together
The process by which memories are formed through human relationships

Coda: Dynamic Memory
Acknowledgements
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References
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The strange workings of memory that sometimes makes me a fool, and sometimes a genius.
-Why some memories are remembered for a long time, while others are quickly forgotten

Why do we remember the lyrics of a long-ago pop song so vividly, while forgetting what we had for lunch a few hours ago? The author argues that memory is inherently selective.
Because we cannot remember all of our life experiences.
Only a very small part of our experiences is captured in our memories.
That's why the brain chooses which experiences to remember very carefully.
The basis for that choice is the framework of ‘context’ and ‘schematic’.
Our brain remembers in chunks.
The location, situation, emotions, and context of a specific event are stored together as a lump called the 'event boundary'.
If you move from one room to another, your brain perceives the new context and blurs your memories of the previous room?
In this way, the brain stores information by grouping it based on context, so when the location changes or a different situation intervenes, you cannot remember what you were thinking about just before.


A 'schema' is a type of mental framework that uses recurring patterns or structures to help us organize and understand information in familiar environments.
It's about preparing important common elements in advance and reusing them in similar situations.
For example, when ordering at a cafe, the brain does not store the memory separately each time, but rather identifies common patterns and stores them as a diagram of 'ordering at a cafe'.
Integrating common elements into a diagram like this is not only efficient, but also allows you to focus on remembering the differences that change from time to time in a meaningful way.
Our brains use patterns in diagrams, such as the repetitive rhythms and forms of music, the patterns of pieces in a game of chess, the structure of places, and the structure of stories.
The reason we don't remember what we had for lunch yesterday isn't because our memories are bad, but because it was just one of many unremarkable lunches.
The reason we don't forget the lyrics of old pop songs is because music is such an effective schema that the moment we hear the melody, we enter the 'boundary of events' that were created decades ago.
The forgetting we experience in our daily lives is not due to a decline in memory, but rather is an efficient information processing mechanism intended by the brain.

Memories are not photographs taken from a drawer.
The truth about memory revealed by the illusion of remembering

We usually think of memory as working by storing and retrieving data stored in a computer called the brain.
However, the reality of memory is completely different from what we commonly think.
Memories are not as precise as photographs or records, but are much more variable and fluid.
The brain reconstructs information anew every time we recall a memory, and what's surprising is that the areas of the brain that are activated when we remember and when we imagine are almost identical.
This is evidence that memory and imagination work in the same way.
In other words, we do not simply replay events that occurred in the past, but rather imagine a plausible past, using a small amount of context and information we have retrieved as a starting point.
During this process, memories may be transformed depending on my current state.
This means that we are 'rewriting' the past to reflect our present perceptions and emotions.


This characteristic of memory sometimes distorts memories and creates false memories.
This is a result that betrays our belief that 'memory is accurate and unchanging.'
However, the author explains that this memory system is actually an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
Being able to alter past memories rather than having precise memories like photographs is much more advantageous for 'survival'.
Because the world is constantly changing, it is essential to update our memories to reflect those changes.
If you witness someone you trusted lying, you will be more skeptical of what they say in the future.
Without memory updating, we cannot be flexible enough to adjust our behavior based on new information.
The fluid memory system is the most proactive survival mechanism humans have evolved to avoid impending danger and prepare for the future.


How can we remember and learn more effectively?
-Curiosity is the key to survival.

When faced with an unexpected situation, animals exhibit a 'orientation response' (Pavlov called this the 'What's going on?' reflex).
Animals exposed to a new stimulus experience dilated pupils, constricted blood vessels, and a rapid release of neuromodulators such as dopamine and norepinephrine.
Our brains also prioritize unexpected information over predictable, familiar information, based on a 'righting response'.
Curiosity is piqued when there is a gap between what we know and what we want to know, known as an “information gap.”
When curiosity is piqued, we feel discomfort, such as thirst or hunger, and naturally try to bridge the 'information gap'.
When curiosity is satisfied, the brain releases dopamine as a reward, which in turn triggers the desire and motivation to learn.
As we actively seek out and acquire information, our memories are naturally strengthened.
Ultimately, information that piques our curiosity remains in our memory longer, while boring information is easily forgotten.


The author recommends an effective learning method that utilizes this process that takes place in our brain.
'Mistake-based learning' is a very simple principle that guarantees excellent results: learning from challenges and mistakes.
The brain works much more actively when it is trying to come up with answers rather than passively repeating and memorizing information.
Even if you make mistakes or get the wrong answer while trying to guess the correct answer, the process itself greatly improves your memory ability.
This type of 'error-based learning' stimulates curiosity through the process of asking and answering questions on one's own, and 'induces retrieval' of learned memories, thereby storing the learned contents in long-term memory.
Another point the author emphasizes is ‘sleep.’
While we sleep, our brain processes and consolidates memories of what happened during the day, which has the effect of giving itself a test.
Rather than cutting down on sleep and studying, it is more helpful to study to get a deep sleep at night, take a nap during the day, or even just rest for a short time.


How does memory recall the past, navigate the present, and imagine the future?
-Understanding the mechanisms of memory allows me to understand myself.

When we say that a memory is 'true' or 'false', we misunderstand how memory works.
Memories are neither false nor true.
Memory is essentially 'reconstruction with imagination'.
That is why we have different memories of an event, and we recall memories that are reconstructed differently depending on our own experiences and interpretations.
Memories can change at any time, and the past we remember may differ from the truth.
That is the essence of memory.
Only when we truly understand the nature of memory can we begin to understand how we can utilize it.
Until now, we have thought of the mechanisms of memory and forgetting as limitations of the brain and have asked the question, “Why do we keep forgetting?”
But in this book, author Charan Ranganath shows that the fluid and changeable memory mechanisms at work in our brains are the source of creativity and the best outcome for adapting to changing environments and coping with the future.
"The Illusion of Remembering" will help all readers who want to understand their memories and lives more deeply, going beyond brain science and psychology, to rediscover themselves as "remembering beings" who recall the past, live in the present, and actively create the future.