Memory and nostalgia

Memory and nostalgia
idea
Before it was ‘bittersweet’, nostalgia was seen as a parasite
Early modern ideas about nostalgia, infused with the elements of horror, invite us to think more deeply about human longing
by Jac Lewis

Memory and nostalgia
idea
It’s not just youth’s happy memories that have a special weight
Mixed in with the highly memorable rites of growing up are more troubling highlights. But these, too, can have enduring value
by Çağlayan Özdemir, Michelle D Leichtman & David B Pillemer

Memory and nostalgia
guide
How to get better at remembering
Frustrated by elusive names and misplaced phones? The science of memory reveals ways to improve your powers of recall
by Elizabeth Kensinger & Andrew Budson

Theatre and performance
film
Some 40 years on, actors revisit the toil and trouble of a Macbeth fiasco
Directed by James Solden

Mind and brain
idea
What is it like to remember all the faces you’ve ever seen?
They’ve been studied by researchers and recruited by police forces, but what’s it actually like to be a super-recogniser?
by Shayla Love

The self
idea
What my mother’s sticky notes show about the nature of the self
Dementia accelerates a process we all experience, as our memories become increasingly externalised into the world around us
by Crispin Sartwell

Place
film
The clutter of a used bookshop forms an evocative metaphor for memory
Directed by Diego Quinderé de Carvalho

Forgiveness
idea
Must you forget to forgive? A scientist tests the relationship
Forgiveness is colloquially linked with fading memory – but research is probing what it really means to let go of wrongdoing
by Shayla Love

Communication and language
idea
Will studying a new language interfere with any others you speak?
Multilinguals say it feels as though learning another language interferes with old ones. New research put this to the test
by Shayla Love

Compassion and empathy
film
How one man saved 160 lives with an extended hand and a warm cup of tea
Directed by Alec Green and Finbar Watson