Charan Ranganath

And then you'll kick yourself for not having packed everything. But here's the bit. On average, you do pretty well by packing just what you need. And that's how memory works. It's kind of an analogy for memory and the journey of life that we take, right? Our brains are trying to figure out through millennia of evolution, what's the best information to carry with us?

And then you'll kick yourself for not having packed everything. But here's the bit. On average, you do pretty well by packing just what you need. And that's how memory works. It's kind of an analogy for memory and the journey of life that we take, right? Our brains are trying to figure out through millennia of evolution, what's the best information to carry with us?

And then you'll kick yourself for not having packed everything. But here's the bit. On average, you do pretty well by packing just what you need. And that's how memory works. It's kind of an analogy for memory and the journey of life that we take, right? Our brains are trying to figure out through millennia of evolution, what's the best information to carry with us?

What's the information that we're going to need in the future? Is it going to be every word of every conversation, or is it going to be the stuff that was important in some way? The stuff that we paid attention to, the stuff that was surprising or new, the stuff that got us emotionally aroused because it's rewarding or something that is scary and a threat that we want to remember later on, right?

What's the information that we're going to need in the future? Is it going to be every word of every conversation, or is it going to be the stuff that was important in some way? The stuff that we paid attention to, the stuff that was surprising or new, the stuff that got us emotionally aroused because it's rewarding or something that is scary and a threat that we want to remember later on, right?

What's the information that we're going to need in the future? Is it going to be every word of every conversation, or is it going to be the stuff that was important in some way? The stuff that we paid attention to, the stuff that was surprising or new, the stuff that got us emotionally aroused because it's rewarding or something that is scary and a threat that we want to remember later on, right?

And if you look back at the memories of your life, those will be the kinds of things that we tend to remember better.

And if you look back at the memories of your life, those will be the kinds of things that we tend to remember better.

And if you look back at the memories of your life, those will be the kinds of things that we tend to remember better.

Yeah, it's kind of surprising how little we know about these individual differences in memory overall. There are some hints that there are some differences. I believe it was in an area of the brain called the striatum. But you know what? surprised me in reading that research is how subtle and small the differences really are. They're not all that big.

Yeah, it's kind of surprising how little we know about these individual differences in memory overall. There are some hints that there are some differences. I believe it was in an area of the brain called the striatum. But you know what? surprised me in reading that research is how subtle and small the differences really are. They're not all that big.

Yeah, it's kind of surprising how little we know about these individual differences in memory overall. There are some hints that there are some differences. I believe it was in an area of the brain called the striatum. But you know what? surprised me in reading that research is how subtle and small the differences really are. They're not all that big.

Uh, and you can look at people with, um, uh, severely deficient autobiographical memory, people who you ask them, you know, what they did yesterday and, um, they'll give you a very minimal answer and they won't be able to remember hardly anything in detail. What they tell you will sound like they're reading from a book, not something that they actually lived, right?

Uh, and you can look at people with, um, uh, severely deficient autobiographical memory, people who you ask them, you know, what they did yesterday and, um, they'll give you a very minimal answer and they won't be able to remember hardly anything in detail. What they tell you will sound like they're reading from a book, not something that they actually lived, right?

Uh, and you can look at people with, um, uh, severely deficient autobiographical memory, people who you ask them, you know, what they did yesterday and, um, they'll give you a very minimal answer and they won't be able to remember hardly anything in detail. What they tell you will sound like they're reading from a book, not something that they actually lived, right?

Yet you look in real life and the highly superior and the severely deficient people,

Yet you look in real life and the highly superior and the severely deficient people,

Yet you look in real life and the highly superior and the severely deficient people,

they're functioning at equal levels it's not like the highly superior people are limitless and they're you know rich and famous and yeah you can find some rich and famous people with h that but for the most part they're just like everybody else in terms of their daily life they didn't perform better in school they didn't do you know live out some amazing experiences that nobody else would have so we don't know enough about what makes the brains different but

they're functioning at equal levels it's not like the highly superior people are limitless and they're you know rich and famous and yeah you can find some rich and famous people with h that but for the most part they're just like everybody else in terms of their daily life they didn't perform better in school they didn't do you know live out some amazing experiences that nobody else would have so we don't know enough about what makes the brains different but