Memory and nostalgia
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
Theatre and performance
film
Some 40 years on, actors revisit the toil and trouble of a Macbeth fiasco
Directed by James Solden
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
Place
film
The clutter of a used bookshop forms an evocative metaphor for memory
Directed by Diego Quinderé de Carvalho
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
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
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