Memory and nostalgia
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
Memory and nostalgia
idea
You can feel nostalgia for things that you haven’t yet lost
Nostalgia is a longing for the past, but psychologists are coming to realise it can focus on the future too
by Shayla Love
Altered states
film
Get lost in enigmatic memories of a small-town Japanese fair
Directed by Sumito Sakakibara
Death and dying
idea
Why ancient Mesopotamians buried their dead beneath the floor
In an age before photos or audio recordings, people found other ways to stay sensorially connected to their deceased
by Nicola Laneri
Music
idea
What is it about musical hooks that makes them so catchy?
From hummable riffs to striking lyrics, the catchiest hooks tell us something about the limits of human attention and memory
by Tim Byron & Jadey O’Regan
Memory and nostalgia
film
Butterflies are reborn as memories of a past love in this striking visual poem
Directed by Sofia El Khyari
Brain injury and dementia
idea
Earlier memories are relatively spared in dementia. Why?
People with Alzheimer’s have richer memories of late childhood and early adulthood and this could help therapeutic care
by Dorthe Berntsen
Imagination
idea
Aphantasia can be a gift to philosophers and critics like me
Aphantasia veils the past and the future from the mind’s eye. That can be a gift to philosophers like Derek Parfit and me
by Mette Leonard Høeg
Love
film
In this dreamlike terrain a storm becomes a window into passion
Directed by Justine Vuylsteker