Quick Book Review: Remember

I devoured the book Remember by Lisa Genova. It’s completely altered the way I think about and use my memory. Here are my three biggest take-aways:

• Your memory isn't a camcorder. Your brain isn’t objectively recording everything you experience. To remember something, you need to be paying attention to it. And what you pay attention to most are meaningful, emotionally-charged experiences that stand out from the pack. (This is why you don’t remember what you ate for lunch three Thursdays ago, but you do remember your first kiss). 

• Your memory is wrong. As someone who prides herself on remembering “right,” this one was a doozy. Basically, every time you take a memory file out of your brain bank, you alter it just a little bit. It’s like playing a vinyl record. Every time you slide the record out of the sleeve, place it on the turntable, and let the needle spin through the grooves, the record changes every so slightly. (This is why reframing a memory based on new information about yourself shifts the memory itself.)

• What you remember creates your life story: I found this fascinating. We tend to remember the memories that support our identity and outlook. Do you think you’re a feisty, unspoken women,? If so, you’ll more likely remember, and therefore reinforce, the memories of moments you stood up for yourself and others. What if you think you're always the unlucky one? Well your autobiographical highlight reel will feature an endless stream of painful disappointments. (This is why it’s important to examine which memories you’re holding on to and whether they’re reinforcing the type of identity you want to have?)