Why do we forget our reason for entering a room? How does technology impact our brain? Each episode will teach you a new technique for boosting your memory using fun, in-episode exercises you can easily practice from home, with leading specialists such as a Harvard Professor of Psychology, a world memory champion, and more.
What You'll Learn
The different kinds of memory
The truth behind cultural conceptions of memory, like photographic memory or Sherlock Holmes' "mind palace"
Why it's so hard to learn names
How to forget things less frequently
Course Outline
EP 1: Introduction to memory
I need Google Maps to get just about anywhere. How has reliance on technology impacted our memory?
EP 2: Short term memory, and how the “pros” do it
What goes on in the brain when we try to store short-term information?
EP 3: Episodic memory: The imperfect movie of your life
This episode is all about what makes episodic memory (our recollection of our own experiences) tick.
EP 4: Semantic memory and your knowledge about the world
What is semantic memory?
EP 5: Spatial memory and the memory palace
Sherlock Holmes’ famous memory palace technique is real, and tons of people just like you and me trained themselves to build one. But does spatial memory work?
EP 6: Visual memories and photographic memories
A guest expert breaks down the science of visual memory, and scrutinizes the cultural concept of the photographic memory.
EP 7: False memories (and the curse of the “Mandela effect”)
Is it Berenstain Bears, or Berenstein Bears? This episode dives into the reason behind false memories.
EP 8: Remembering names and faces
This episode breaks down the process of remembering names and faces-- how it works, and how to do it better.
EP 9: Learning language, an incredible feat
This episode features a crash course on the science of language in the brain, plus some helpful tips for how we can learn new languages better.
EP 10: Why we forget
The final expert explains some common forms of forgetting and how we can make them happen less often.
- Audio producer for Wonder Media Network
Humans could once navigate the oceans with only the stars to guide them -- but now, I need Google Maps to get just about anywhere. How has reliance on technology impacted our memory? Plus, a guest expert overviews the modern understanding of how memory works.
What goes on in the brain when we try to store short-term information? Is it the same principle used by famous memory competitors as they memorize an entire deck of cards in seconds? A guest expert explains the principles of short term memory (also called working memory) and a memory athlete breaks down his technique.
Episodic memories are our recollection of events that happened to us, that we can replay like amovie in our brains. But how does that work? Why do memories from back then get foggysometimes, but other times they’re clear as day?
Who was the first president of the United States? That’s a simple question you can probablyanswer. But when did you learn it? Where were you when you learned it? The fact we don’tknow is semantic memory at work. When and how does information enter semantic memory?
Sherlock Holmes’ famous memory palace technique is real, and tons of people just like you andme trained themselves to build one. But how does spatial memory work at all? Can anyonereally use it to build a memory palace? And most importantly: how can I get mine started?Short ver: This episode reviews the famous memory palace technique and how spatial memoryworks.
The idea of some people having a perfectly photographic memory has embedded itself deeply in our culture -- but is it actually a real scientific concept? The answer may not be what you expect. This episode breaks down the science of visual memory from top to bottom.
How the human brain stores and recalls language is truly incredible. Our minds are an ever-expanding lexicon of over 20,000 unique words -- but how do we keep it all in there? This episode is all about your brain and speech, when it comes to learning languages from infancy.
Have you ever forgotten someone’s name as soon as they said it? This episode breaks down the process of remembering names and faces -- how it works, how to do it better, and why recalling names always seems more difficult.
How the human brain stores and recalls language is truly incredible. Our minds are an ever-expanding lexicon of over 20,000 unique words -- but how do we keep it all in there? This episode is all about your brain and speech, when it comes to learning new words and new languages entirely. Guest: Dr. Lauren Emberson, Assistant professor of psychology at Princeton University. Director of the Laboratory for Perception, Learning and Development - and co-founder of the Princeton Baby Lab.
We all know the feeling of forgetting why we entered a room. Or misplacing our keys. Or blanking on our friend’s birthday. Why do we forget? And how can we stop it from happening?