Ciara Greene

A computer is supposed to retain this perfect record of information as we recorded it. But that's not what our memories do. That's not how our memories work. rather than thinking of memory as being this kind of passive process where we just file information away and then it just stays there, memory is actually this really active process where we're kind of actively engaging in our memories.

A computer is supposed to retain this perfect record of information as we recorded it. But that's not what our memories do. That's not how our memories work. rather than thinking of memory as being this kind of passive process where we just file information away and then it just stays there, memory is actually this really active process where we're kind of actively engaging in our memories.

We engage in actively constructing and reconstructing our memories and we change the way our memories are stored in our brains. And part of that process is that forgetting is a kind of a natural sort of digestion process in memory, that we have lots and lots of different events in our lives and

We engage in actively constructing and reconstructing our memories and we change the way our memories are stored in our brains. And part of that process is that forgetting is a kind of a natural sort of digestion process in memory, that we have lots and lots of different events in our lives and

We engage in actively constructing and reconstructing our memories and we change the way our memories are stored in our brains. And part of that process is that forgetting is a kind of a natural sort of digestion process in memory, that we have lots and lots of different events in our lives and

One of the really key things that our memories do and that forgetting helps us do essentially is to identify the gist of those memories. So for example, right, like imagine every day probably you eat breakfast, okay, and probably most days you eat more or less the same thing for breakfast.

One of the really key things that our memories do and that forgetting helps us do essentially is to identify the gist of those memories. So for example, right, like imagine every day probably you eat breakfast, okay, and probably most days you eat more or less the same thing for breakfast.

One of the really key things that our memories do and that forgetting helps us do essentially is to identify the gist of those memories. So for example, right, like imagine every day probably you eat breakfast, okay, and probably most days you eat more or less the same thing for breakfast.

Maybe you eat something different on the weekends than you do the weekdays, okay, but probably you eat the same thing more or less every morning.

Maybe you eat something different on the weekends than you do the weekdays, okay, but probably you eat the same thing more or less every morning.

Maybe you eat something different on the weekends than you do the weekdays, okay, but probably you eat the same thing more or less every morning.

And you could, if you think of that computer metaphor, you could imagine that for every single day of your life, you should have a perfect, veridical recollection of exactly what you ate for breakfast, how you poured out the cornflakes, how you poured out the milk, how you sat down at the table, picked up your spoon, how many bites you ate, how many times you chewed each bite.

And you could, if you think of that computer metaphor, you could imagine that for every single day of your life, you should have a perfect, veridical recollection of exactly what you ate for breakfast, how you poured out the cornflakes, how you poured out the milk, how you sat down at the table, picked up your spoon, how many bites you ate, how many times you chewed each bite.

And you could, if you think of that computer metaphor, you could imagine that for every single day of your life, you should have a perfect, veridical recollection of exactly what you ate for breakfast, how you poured out the cornflakes, how you poured out the milk, how you sat down at the table, picked up your spoon, how many bites you ate, how many times you chewed each bite.

But honestly, what a waste of time to remember all of these things in such detail. Really, all you really need to know is to sort of condense all of that information into Usually I eat cornflakes for breakfast. Okay. And then sometimes when something a little bit different happens, then we need to be able to remember that. Like, well, we ran out of milk this morning, so I had toast instead.

But honestly, what a waste of time to remember all of these things in such detail. Really, all you really need to know is to sort of condense all of that information into Usually I eat cornflakes for breakfast. Okay. And then sometimes when something a little bit different happens, then we need to be able to remember that. Like, well, we ran out of milk this morning, so I had toast instead.

But honestly, what a waste of time to remember all of these things in such detail. Really, all you really need to know is to sort of condense all of that information into Usually I eat cornflakes for breakfast. Okay. And then sometimes when something a little bit different happens, then we need to be able to remember that. Like, well, we ran out of milk this morning, so I had toast instead.

I must remember to go to the shop and buy milk. But most of the time, remembering all of these very repetitive events in our lives in this perfect individual detail is actually a really inefficient way of storing information. Instead, we kind of condense that information down and we pull out the gist of those kind of repeated continuous events.

I must remember to go to the shop and buy milk. But most of the time, remembering all of these very repetitive events in our lives in this perfect individual detail is actually a really inefficient way of storing information. Instead, we kind of condense that information down and we pull out the gist of those kind of repeated continuous events.

I must remember to go to the shop and buy milk. But most of the time, remembering all of these very repetitive events in our lives in this perfect individual detail is actually a really inefficient way of storing information. Instead, we kind of condense that information down and we pull out the gist of those kind of repeated continuous events.