From our earliest recollections of childhood to what we did last night, our memories make us who we are, enabling us to chart our life to date, recall pivotal moments and plan for the future. Yet how much do we actually know about memories?
WELCOME TO HOW IT WORKS THE SCIENCE OF MEMORY
How It Works: The Science of Memory
32 STRANGE FACTS ABOUT MEMORY • MEMORY CAN BE A PLAYFUL THING – IT COLLECTS MINUTE DETAILS FROM CHILDHOOD EVENTS, YET LEAVES US WONDERING WHERE WE LEFT OUR KEYS
THE HUMAN BRAIN • DESCRIBED AS THE MOST COMPLEX THING IN THE UNIVERSE, OUR BRAINS ARE TRULY ASTONISHING
WHY THE BRAIN IS WRINKLED • THE BRAIN FOLDS IN ON ITSELF TO CRAM IN MORE PROCESSING POWER
HOW DOES THE BRAIN REMEMBER? • DISCOVER HOW THIS VITAL ORGAN STORES AND UTILISES MEMORIES IN A PROCESS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
TYPES OF MEMORY • YOUR BRAIN IS SO MUCH MORE THAN A HARD DRIVE FOR INFORMATION
THAT SMELLS FAMILIAR • WHY DO CERTAIN SCENTS TAKE YOU STRAIGHT BACK TO THE PAST?
WHY CAN’T WE REMEMBER OUR DREAMS? • YOU SPEND A THIRD OF YOUR LIFE ASLEEP, A GOOD CHUNK OF WHICH INVOLVES DREAMING, YET OFTEN YOU DON’T REMEMBER ANY OF YOUR DREAMS
NEVER FORGET A FACE • WE HAVE FACIAL RECOGNITION TO THANK FOR OUR WIDE SOCIAL CIRCLES
HAVE I SEEN YOU SOMEWHERE BEFORE? • WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN PICK OUT A FAMILIAR FACE
FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY • SOFTWARE CAN NOW PICK OUT FACES FOR US
WHY WE LOSE OUR CHILDHOOD MEMORIES • DISCOVER WHY WE HAVE VERY FEW MEMORIES BEFORE AGE SEVEN
AGE-RELATED MEMORY LOSS • OUR MEMORY MAY NOT BE WHAT IT ONCE WAS, BUT IT’S A NORMAL PART OF AGEING
THE POWER OF ACTIVE RECALL • HOW CAN WE TRAIN OUR BRAINS TO REMEMBER FACTS ON DEMAND?
THE KEY STEPS • FOLLOW THE PROCESS TO BUILDING UP YOUR ACTIVE RECALL
HOW TO NATURALLY IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY • FIND OUT WHICH LIFESTYLE CHOICES ARE THE BEST FOR YOUR BRAIN
10 MYSTERIES OF THE MIND • MUCH OF WHAT WE DON’T UNDERSTAND ABOUT BEING HUMAN IS SIMPLY IN OUR HEADS. THE BRAIN IS A BEFUDDLING ORGAN, AS ARE THE VERY QUESTIONS OF LIFE AND DEATH, CONSCIOUSNESS, SLEEP, AND MUCH MORE
HAVE YOU READ THIS BEFORE? • DISCOVER THE SCIENCE OF DÉJÀ VU AND THE TECHNIQUE USED TO TRIGGER IT
TRAPPED IN AN ENDLESS TIME LOOP • The man who has déjà vu about déjà vu
HYPNOSIS EXPLAINED • SUPERNATURAL MIND CONTROL, PLACEBO EFFECT OR SOMETHING IN BETWEEN? HYPNOSIS TAKES US ON A JOURNEY INTO THE MIND…
TYPES OF HYPNOSIS • WE ALL KNOW WHAT HYPNOSIS IS, BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TYPE?
FALSE MEMORIES • DOES YOUR BRAIN RECORD MEMORIES LIKE A VIDEOTAPE, OR IS OUR RECOLLECTION MORE OF AN ARTIST IMPRESSION OF PAST EVENTS?
THE LOST IN THE MALL TECHNIQUE • WHERE IMAGINATION CAN GENERATE A FALSE MEMORY
STEVE RAMIREZ AND XU LIU • HOW TWO SCIENTISTS SUCCESSFULLY IMPLANTED A FALSE MEMORY
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS AND RECONSTRUCTED MEMORIES • POLICE LEARNED LONG AGO NOT TO PUT TOTAL FAITH IN AN EYEWITNESS’S MEMORY. DISCOVER HOW THE COGNITIVE INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE CAN HELP BUILD A MORE ACCURATE PICTURE OF A CRIME
THE MANDELA EFFECT • FALSE MEMORIES ARE OFTEN SHARED GLOBALLY, RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT COLLECTIVE HUMAN MEMORY
HOW TECHNOLOGY CHANGES OUR MEMORY • HAS OUR ABILITY TO RECALL EVENTS, STATS AND FACTS WANED BECAUSE OF A RELIANCE ON SMARTPHONES AND COMPUTERS?
TRAUMA & MEMORY LOSS • TRAUMA CAN DESCRIBE EITHER A PHYSICAL INJURY OR A DISTRESSING EXPERIENCE. ALL TYPES OF TRAUMA CAN LEAD TO POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, A SYMPTOM OF WHICH IS MEMORY LOSS
THE CURIOUS CASES OF HENRY AND EUGENE • MEET THE TWO PATIENTS WHO REVOLUTIONISED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MEMORY...
