What could have been?
Counterfactual history explores what could’ve been: the paths not taken. What do we gain by applying this to our own lives?
by Sam Dresser
Memory and nostalgia
Articles, Films and practical Guides on memory and nostalgia, part of Psyche’s coverage of self-knowledge and personal growth.
How to be the archivist of your own family
By curating your family’s stories, rituals and relics, you’ll feel anchored – and create a bridge between the generations
by Samantha Ellis
What comfort can images give us when someone we love is gone?
Directed by Natalie A Chao
A memory hack to help you face your fears
There’s a way to recall past encounters with your fears that could help you feel more confident facing them in future
by Christian Jarrett
How to build a memory palace
Upgrade your ability to recall dates, names or other details with an ancient trick of the memory trade: the ‘method of loci’
by Lynne Kelly
Steven has a rare insight into faces – because he cannot recognise them
Directed by Steven Fraser
In an elegy for his childhood home, a filmmaker constructs a lyrical collage of memory
Directed by Damian Gascoigne
Synchronicity
Long ago, I gave a boy a greenfinch. That moment followed me in ways I’m still puzzling over
by Katia Ariel
How to alter the passage of time to feel fast or slow
Knowing the psychology behind why moments drag or whizz by can give you a degree of control over your experience of time
by Martin Wiener
Perhaps the weirdest experience you’ll have sober, what exactly is déjà vu?
Video by BBC Ideas
The voices that stick in our minds
Are the most memorable voices just the ones we hear frequently? Or is there some other quality they have?
by Matt Huston
Why our flawed, flexible memories come with social benefits
Though relationships are grounded in shared memories, some gaps and inaccuracies can help us live well in a social world
by Gillian Murphy & Ciara Greene
How do transgender people remember their earlier selves?
Research with transgender people sheds light on the memory processes that allow any of us to navigate periods of change
by Caleb Schlaupitz
An Aboriginal painter depicts scenes from her youth in this beautiful short
A film by Grace Kemarre Robinya and Jonathan Daw