Dr. Daniel Schacter: Memory The Mind Society

Memories make up an integral part of the human experience. We use them to steer clear of potentially risky or harmful future situations or to even evoke a sense of joy and happiness in the present from reflecting on positive past experiences. They influence our everyday decisions and judgements. But how reliable are our memories? Do we really remember everything exactly the way they happened? Dr. Daniel Schacter, a faculty professor and researcher at Harvard, investigates exactly these types of inquiries. He’s one of the nation’s top experts in memory, and his book, The Seven Sins of Memory, explains that although we are prone to, and often experience, memory failures, it’s exactly how evolution intended. Surprisingly, Dr. Schacter argues that memory may be much more about the future than the past, contrary to what we usually consider memories to be – “of the past”. We discuss false memories and false crime confessions, along with the notion that we construct our memories based on past experiences, current knowledge and beliefs. Listen to all of these riveting topics and more during our conversation.