Forgetting in ancient Greece and China
Forgetting things can be frustrating, even frightening. The ancient Greeks certainly thought so. But Daoism offers a different – and more hopeful – perspective
by Sam Dresser
Memory and nostalgia
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
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
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
Some 40 years on, actors revisit the toil and trouble of a Macbeth fiasco
Directed by James Solden
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
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
The clutter of a used bookshop forms an evocative metaphor for memory
Directed by Diego Quinderé de Carvalho
How one man saved 160 lives with an extended hand and a warm cup of tea
Directed by Alec Green and Finbar Watson
For a Chinese tea master, each sip is a rich expression of memory
Directed by Anna-Claria Ostasenko Bogdanoff
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
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
Butterflies are reborn as memories of a past love in this striking visual poem
Directed by Sofia El Khyari
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
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
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