Do you ever feel like your memory lets you down when you need it most? If you forget your keys every time you leave the house, struggle to remember new names or just need a boost before a big test, you might be in need of some memory training. Trivia and memory experts share their best tips for recalling more and warding off everyday forgetfulness. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
You're listening to life kit from NPR.
Andy Tagle here, in for Marielle Saguera.
Do you ever feel like your memory lets you down, leaves you hanging, seemingly when you need it most?
Like, okay, you're in the middle of a party, recounting for friends that wild thing that happened to you last week.
But then, poof, the name of that celebrity who grabbed your coffee by mistake is completely out of reach.
Come on, memory.
Oh, you know, she's in the show with that mystery.
And there's that other guy with the big hair.
You know her?
I swear.
Or what about this one?
You ever walk into a room to get something and then immediately forget why you're there?
Like brain, we had a plan a mere 10 seconds ago.
You can still recite every lyric of my favorite song from middle school.
How could you have already lost the file of what we were just doing?
The most common misconception is that memory is supposed to be a complete and faithful record of the past, such that we can replay the entire past at any time we want to.
And in fact, memory is selective.
It can be biased.
It can be warped and reconstructed in many different ways.
Our memories, by design, are powerful and fallible, even those of memory researchers like Charan Ranganoth.