Forgetting: The Benefits of Not Remembering
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-10 03:18:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Scott A. Small
- ISBN：0593136195
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
"Fascinating and useful 。 。 。 The distinguished memory researcher Scott A。 Small explains why forgetfulness is not only normal but also beneficial。"--Walter Isaacson， bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs
Who wouldn't want a better memory？ Dr。 Scott Small has dedicated his career to understanding why memory forsakes us。 As director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Columbia University， he focuses largely on patients who experience pathological forgetting， and it is in contrast to their suffering that normal forgetting， which we experience every day， appears in sharp relief。
Until recently， most everyone--memory scientists included--believed that forgetting served no purpose。 But new research in psychology， neurobiology， medicine， and computer science tells a different story。 Forgetting is not a failure of our minds。 It's not even a benign glitch。 It is， in fact， good for us--and， alongside memory， it is a required function for our minds to work best。
Forgetting benefits our cognitive and creative abilities， emotional well-being， and even our personal and societal health。 As frustrating as a typical lapse can be， it's precisely what opens up our minds to making better decisions， experiencing joy and relationships， and flourishing artistically。
From studies of bonobos in the wild to visits with the iconic painter Jasper Johns and the renowned decision-making expert Daniel Kahneman， Small looks across disciplines to put new scientific findings into illuminating context while also revealing groundbreaking developments about Alzheimer's disease。 The next time you forget where you left your keys， remember that a little forgetting does a lot of good。
Who wouldn't want a better memory？ Dr。 Scott Small has dedicated his career to understanding why memory forsakes us。 As director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Columbia University， he focuses largely on patients who experience pathological forgetting， and it is in contrast to their suffering that normal forgetting， which we experience every day， appears in sharp relief。
Until recently， most everyone--memory scientists included--believed that forgetting served no purpose。 But new research in psychology， neurobiology， medicine， and computer science tells a different story。 Forgetting is not a failure of our minds。 It's not even a benign glitch。 It is， in fact， good for us--and， alongside memory， it is a required function for our minds to work best。
Forgetting benefits our cognitive and creative abilities， emotional well-being， and even our personal and societal health。 As frustrating as a typical lapse can be， it's precisely what opens up our minds to making better decisions， experiencing joy and relationships， and flourishing artistically。
From studies of bonobos in the wild to visits with the iconic painter Jasper Johns and the renowned decision-making expert Daniel Kahneman， Small looks across disciplines to put new scientific findings into illuminating context while also revealing groundbreaking developments about Alzheimer's disease。 The next time you forget where you left your keys， remember that a little forgetting does a lot of good。
Reviews
Paul Mcguire
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Forgetting brings together a variety of areas of brain research to explore the benefits of our tendency to forget。 This is examined through the experience of autistic people and those with ptsd in early chapters。 Both show ways that too much memory can make it difficult to function。 Other chapters explore the role sleep plays in helping us forget， making room for our ability to make new memories the next day。 The last two chapters explore alzheimers disease through the research that currently ex Forgetting brings together a variety of areas of brain research to explore the benefits of our tendency to forget。 This is examined through the experience of autistic people and those with ptsd in early chapters。 Both show ways that too much memory can make it difficult to function。 Other chapters explore the role sleep plays in helping us forget， making room for our ability to make new memories the next day。 The last two chapters explore alzheimers disease through the research that currently exists。 There are still many questions about the disease that have of been answered。 As someone without a scientific background I was able to follow along without much difficulty。 The ending may frustrate readers looking for more answers because there is still much to learn about the disease。 But it is good to know that research is rapidly progressing。Most of us will witness alzheimers in a friend or family member so I find it comforting to learn more about how the disease progresses。 This book won't give you any tools to help stop your own experience of forgetting。 But it might help you better accept it as a necessary part of life。 Anyone interested in neuroscience and how the brain works should pick this up。 It is accessible and easy to read for the science enthusiast。 。。。more
Cat
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It would be nice to pick and choose forgetfulness， but that isn't how it works。 I just visited an elderly relative who is beginning to suffer from some form of dementia。 Her short term memory is vanishing， sadly， she seems to recognizes that fact。， scary。 This was as an enlightening read about memory and forgetfulness。 As I am creeping into my senior years， it's feeling like I should go armed， aware of my brain and how it works and how it can impact my future life。 Well worth the read。I received It would be nice to pick and choose forgetfulness， but that isn't how it works。 I just visited an elderly relative who is beginning to suffer from some form of dementia。 Her short term memory is vanishing， sadly， she seems to recognizes that fact。， scary。 This was as an enlightening read about memory and forgetfulness。 As I am creeping into my senior years， it's feeling like I should go armed， aware of my brain and how it works and how it can impact my future life。 Well worth the read。I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
J Earl
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Forgetting: The Benefits of Not Remembering by Scott A Small is a fascinating and accessible look at how forgetting works in the brain and why it is beneficial when functioning normally。 While the explanations are detailed Small manages to explain neurological concepts in terms most readers can understand and appreciate。The funny thing about forgetting is that it has long been subtly believed to be good to an extent （for instance， my long time comments about not bothering to remember things I do Forgetting: The Benefits of Not Remembering by Scott A Small is a fascinating and accessible look at how forgetting works in the brain and why it is beneficial when functioning normally。 While the explanations are detailed Small manages to explain neurological concepts in terms most readers can understand and appreciate。The funny thing about forgetting is that it has long been subtly believed to be good to an extent （for instance， my long time comments about not bothering to remember things I don't need） while also being something we're all afraid of。 Basically the difference between selective forgetting and pathological forgetting。 What we haven't understood until recently is just how much forgetting is a natural part of our memory and knowledge making as well as how forgetting plays a role in many different conditions。Small does a wonderful job of walking us through understanding the processes involved and the different disciplines where forgetting is important， whether our natural forgetting or when we forget too much or too little。Highly recommended for readers who enjoy more detailed popular science books and especially those curious about our brains， our psychological make-up， and what the current science has to say about it all。 While I have played up the accessibility aspect， this book is also an engaging read that was fun from beginning to end。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Jeff
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