SYSK TRENDING - How Memory Really Works

Mar 17, 2026

Megan Sumeracki, cognitive psychologist and author of The Psychology of Memory, explains how memory forms and why it forgets so much. She discusses why certain life periods feel unforgettable, how emotion and vividness mislead us, and how retrieval and spacing can change what we remember. Short, surprising takes on why forgetting is useful and how memories are reshaped over time.

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INSIGHT

Memory Is Past Used For Present And Future

Memory is best defined as using the past in service of the present or future.
This broad definition includes episodic events, knowledge (what an elephant is), procedural skills (riding a bike), and implicit navigation abilities.

INSIGHT

Long Term Memory Is Flexible And Suggestible

Long-term memory is a large system with many components while working memory (short-term) holds current information for tasks like conversation.
Event memories are more susceptible to suggestion and change with each retrieval, unlike stable concepts.

INSIGHT

Five Minutes Ago Is Long Term Not Short Term

What we call short-term memory is really working memory: what you hold in mind right now during a conversation.
Information from minutes ago becomes long-term memory once it's dropped from working memory and later retrieved.

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Memory feels dependable — we rely on it to tell the story of our lives. But the truth is, memory behaves in some surprisingly strange ways. For one thing, your brain forgets far more than it remembers, and that’s not a flaw — it’s actually part of how memory is designed to work. At the same time, certain moments stick with remarkable clarity while others fade almost instantly. Think about how vividly many people remember events from their late teens and early adulthood compared with other periods of life.

So why do some experiences become unforgettable while others disappear? And if our memories are so selective and imperfect, can we do anything to improve them?

Cognitive psychologist and memory expert Megan Sumeracki says yes. She explains how memory actually forms, why we often misunderstand how it works, and what science reveals about the best ways to strengthen it. Megan is an associate professor of psychology at Rhode Island College and author of The Psychology of Memory (https://amzn.to/4cCOAuK). In our conversation, she shares fascinating insights about why our brains forget so much, why certain years of life seem packed with memories, and simple techniques anyone can use to remember more of what truly matters.

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