Andrew E. Budson - Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory

In Why We Forget and How to Remember Better, memory experts Andrew Budson and Elizabeth Kensinger provide readers with a practical and clearly explained masterclass on how memory works and how to keep it working well as we age. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and maximize their memory functions.

Wendy Suzuki, PhD, Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University and internationally bestselling author of Healthy Brain, Happy Life and Good Anxiety

In this highly readable book, two authorities on the science of memory and the brain unpack everything you could want to know about memory and memory disorders. You will find surprising answers here to fascinating puzzlesfor example, why we form false memories, why someone with Alzheimers disease remembers how to play the piano but forgets the names of family members, how to distinguish between memory decline due to normal aging and disorders of memory, and why sleep is so important for memory. In addition, the authors describe evidence-based ways to remember better and to defend against false memories.

Ellen Winner, PhD, Professor Emerita at Boston College and author of the bestselling book How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration

Budson and Kensinger have done a marvelous job creating an accessible summary of the wide-ranging field of memory research. A perfect place to start for anyone interested in understanding this fundamental human capacity.

Joshua Foer, BA, Author of the bestselling book Moonwalking with Einstein

This book delivers on all fronts. Written by two of the most eminent memory scientists in the world, the book draws in the reader immediatelyengaging both the practitioners of the science of memory as well as those who are new to memory research. The reader is presented with many relatable, everyday examples and practical tips, and with concrete steps that unfold and explain complex theories of memory and forgetting. The authors cover a wide range of representative phenomena about when memory works and when it fails. The book delves into the neuroscience of memory and effects of aging at one end, strategies for improving memory at the other, and many key topics in between. I want this book for my memory course, and for my family and friends who are curious about how memory works.

Suparna Rajaram, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science at Stony Brook University

Everyone knows how memory works, we have our own experiences of remembering and forgetting to go on. But the science of memory, as Budson and Kensinger engagingly recount, teaches us so much morehow it really works and how it doesnt. And how this scientifically grounded knowledge enriches our understanding of our own minds.

Ken Paller, PhD, Padilla Chair and Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern University

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Budson, Andrew E., author. | Kensinger, Elizabeth A., author.

Title: Why we forget and how to remember better : the science behind memory /

Andrew E. Budson, M.D., Elizabeth A. Kensinger, Ph.D.

Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2023] |

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022027375 (print) | LCCN 2022027376 (ebook) |

ISBN 9780197607732 (hardback) | ISBN 9780197607756 (epub) |

ISBN 9780197607763 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: MemoryPopular works. | MemoryPhysiological

aspectsPopular works. | BrainLocalization of functionsPopular works.

Classification: LCC QP406 .B83 2023 (print) | LCC QP406 (ebook) |

DDC 612.8/23312dc23/eng/20220720

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027375

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027376

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197607732.001.0001

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In Christopher Nolans gripping 2000 film Memento, protagonist Leonard Shelby seeks to find the man who he believes murdered his wife during a violent home invasion. Shelbys search is hampered by a head injury he suffered during the attack that resulted in a loss of his ability to remember ongoing events, making him dependent on handwritten notes, photographs, and even tattooed messages to himself in order to conduct the manhunt. Part of the films genius is that Nolan presents the main plot by showing scenes in backwards order, so that the audiences experience is similar to Leonards: Events unfold, but we have no idea what happened in the past that led to the present moment, requiring us to try to piece together the identity, role, and motives of the people we encounter.

Fortunately, watching Memento is about as close as most of us will ever come to experiencing life with a profound and unrelenting memory impairment. As someone who has spent his entire career studying memory, one of the reasons why I find Memento so compelling is that the film helps us to appreciate the enormous role that memory plays in our everyday lives, which we are liable to take for granted given how seamlessly our memory systems often work. Oftenbut not always. And that is why Andrew Budson and Elizabeth Kensingers new book is so valuable. Memory can fail us in a variety of ways, with consequences ranging from mildly annoying to life-changing. If we cant recall the name of the actor who played Leonard even though we saw