How Memory Actually Works

You remember it perfectly. The problem is that you rewrote it the last time you told the story. Cognitive psychologist Dr. Christie Chung, provost at Palo Alto University, joins Mixbook CEO and co-founder Andrew Laffoon to explain what your brain actually does when you remember. Memories aren't recordings. You reconstruct them every time you bring them up, which means they change, and that turns out to be a feature, not a flaw. In this episode: - Why long-term memory has no limit, and what does hold you back - Why photos, music and smells unlock memories nothing else can reach - Flashbulb memories, and why even 9/11 memories shift over time - What Alzheimer's takes first, and why older memories hold on longest - The memory palace, and a two-second habit change that builds new connections Memory isn't a perfect record of your life. It's the story you keep telling, and you get a say in how it's told. Follow Us Mixbook Website Facebook Instagram TikTok YouTube Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: The Memory You'd Bet Money On 0:57 Is Memory a Recording? Why Memories Are Reconstructed 2:20 How Rehearsal Strengthens Memory 4:53 Nostalgia and Imagining the Future 7:09 Why We Forget, and Which Cues Bring Memories Back 9:31 Flashbulb Memories: Are They Really Photographs? 12:05 Memory as Story: Why Our Past Gets Reframed 14:48 Is Memory Limitless? How Neural Connections Grow It 23:12 The Memory Palace Technique 24:47 The File Drawer Analogy 26:26 Is Technology Changing How We Remember? 28:38 Alzheimer's and Memory: What Goes First 32:18 Why Older Adults Retell the Same Stories 33:59 How a Memory Scientist Handles Her Own Memories 37:03 Key Takeaways and What's Next Presented by Mixbook mixbook.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.