The Zoomer Report: How We Remember

Do you ever wonder why it’s so hard to recall some things, and too easy to keep remembering what we’d rather forget?

Courtesy of Psychology Today, here are some tidbits from a collaborative book called The Act of Remembering: Toward an Understanding of How We Recall the Past.

Memories that pop up involuntarily share a lot in common with those recalled voluntarily, including being equally vivid.

Memories arrive in a series, called a memory chain, and may be either time-related or concept-related.

Spontaneous remembering is not irrelevant mind-wandering but how we answer the question: “What do I do next, to further my goals.”

Some of us see ourselves from a first-person perspective in our memories but others have a third-person or outsider perspective. That depends on whether we are male or female, Asian or Causasian. Women more often see themselves as though from the outside.

READ MORE ZOOMER REPORTS
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The Zoomer Report: Photos and Pain
The Zoomer Report: Walking and the Hippocampus

About The Zoomer Report

Libby Znaimer, a prominent Canadian journalist specializing in business, politics, and lifestyle issues, is producer and host of The Zoomer Report, a special feature on topics of interest to baby boomers and the 50+. It covers everything from health and wealth to leisure and volunteerism, from the special vantage point of the generation that has changed society in its wake.

Ms. Znaimer is also Vice-President of News and Information for Classical 96.3FM and AM740. Her first book, “In Cancerland – Living Well Is The Best Revenge” – was published in October 2007 by Key Porter.

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