The Neuroscience Of How To Improve Your Memory & Focus - Dr Charan Ranganath - #939 episode artwork

EPISODE · May 10, 2025 · 1H 15M

The Neuroscience Of How To Improve Your Memory & Focus - Dr Charan Ranganath - #939

from Modern Wisdom · host Chris Williamson

Dr. Charan Ranganath is a cognitive neuroscientist, professor, and an author. What are memories? Our brains are shaped by countless experiences, but how exactly do we store these stories? Learn what makes some memories stick, why others fade, and how our minds handle the ones we'd rather forget. Expect to learn why memory is important, what the difference is between the experiencing self and the remembering self, How human memory works, why we remember some events so clearly and others vaguely or not at all, how we can make ourselves forget, the best memory improvement techniques, what the relationship between memory and novel experiences is, how our memories shaped by our social interactions, and much more… Timestamps: (00:00) Why is Memory Important? (01:23) The Experiencing Self Vs the Remembering Self (07:00) Inside the Brains of Super-Rememberers (10:23) How Does Human Memory Work? (12:11) What Predicts Whether We Will Remember Something? (22:24) Similarities Between Memory & Breathing (26:50) Why Do We Forget Things? (32:43) Fundamentals of Training Memory (36:15) Explaining Error-Driven Learning (45:29) Experiencing Things Worth Remembering (51:44) Relationship Between Emotions & Memory (57:57) Can You Learn Something If You Can’t Remember Doing it? (01:00:54) Novelty & Intensity For Memory (01:04:24) Memory & the Passage of Time (01:07:46) Myths to Dispel About Memory (01:11:03) Where to Find Charan Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D, and more from AG1 at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠ How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠ The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberma - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Charan Ranganath is a cognitive neuroscientist, professor, and an author. What are memories? Our brains are shaped by countless experiences, but how exactly do we store these stories? Learn what makes some memories stick, why others fade, and how our minds handle the ones we'd rather forget. Expect to learn why memory is important, what the difference is between the experiencing self and the remembering self, How human memory works, why we remember some events so clearly and others vaguely or not at all, how we can make ourselves forget, the best memory improvement techniques, what the relationship between memory and novel experiences is, how our memories shaped by our social interactions, and much more… Timestamps: (00:00) Why is Memory Important? (01:23) The Experiencing Self Vs the Remembering Self (07:00) Inside the Brains of Super-Rememberers (10:23) How Does Human Memory Work? (12:11) What Predicts Whether We Will Remember Something? (22:24) Similarities Between Memory & Breathing (26:50) Why Do We Forget Things? (32:43) Fundamentals of Training Memory (36:15) Explaining Error-Driven Learning (45:29) Experiencing Things Worth Remembering (51:44) Relationship Between Emotions & Memory (57:57) Can You Learn Something If You Can’t Remember Doing it? (01:00:54) Novelty & Intensity For Memory (01:04:24) Memory & the Passage of Time (01:07:46) Myths to Dispel About Memory (01:11:03) Where to Find Charan Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D, and more from AG1 at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠ How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠ The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberma - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Neuroscience Of How To Improve Your Memory & Focus - Dr Charan Ranganath - #939

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This episode is 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 10, 2025.

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Dr. Charan Ranganath is a cognitive neuroscientist, professor, and an author. What are memories? Our brains are shaped by countless experiences, but how exactly do we store these stories? Learn what makes some memories stick, why others fade, and...

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