The Surprising Truth About Memory: It’s Not About Perfection

Think you should remember everything? Think again! Our brains are wired to forget most things and hold onto only what truly matters—like emotional moments tied to love, surprise, or fear. It’s not about perfect memory, it’s about meaningful memories. 
Meet Charan Ranganath – a leading neuroscientist unlocking the mysteries of human memory. As the Director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at UC Davis, his groundbreaking research explores how our brains store and retrieve the most meaningful moments. From studying memory processes to understanding why we forget, Charan is transforming the way we think about how our minds work. 
Watch part of my interview with him

What are the biggest misconceptions about memory?
The biggest misconception about memory is that we can and should remember everything that we experience and that it should happen effortlessly. I say that's a misconception because in fact nobody has a perfect memory that has ever been studied. People forget the majority of the details of what they experience over time. Some people have an incredible ability to remember some things but nobody has the ability to remember everything.
Are we designed to remember or to forget?
I think we are designed to remember only the things that matter. When I say the things that matter I don't necessarily mean the names of all the people we would like to memorize. What I mean is that if you look at the kinds of information that most people remember they tend to be these events that are emotionally significant, things that are associated with love, surprise, desire, fear or stress.