The Seven Sins Of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers

Written by Daniel L. Schacter

Narrated by Dan Woren

Daniel L. Schacter, chairman of Harvard University’s Psychology Department and a leading expert on memory, has developed the Trst framework that describes the basic memory miscues we all encounter. Just like the seven deadly sins, the seven memory sins appear routinely in everyday life. Although we may hate these difTculties, as Schacter notes, they’re surprisingly vital to a keen mind.
Schacter, whose previous trade book, SEARCHING FOR MEMORY, was called “splendidly lucid” (The New Yorker), offers vivid examples of the memory sins — for example, the absent-mindedness that plagued both a national memory champion and a violinist who forgot that he had placed a priceless Stradivarius on top of his car before driving off. The author also delves into the recent research — such as imaging that shows memories being formed in the brain — that has led him to develop his framework. Together, the stories and the scientific findings examined in THE SEVEN SINS OF MEMORY provide a fascinating new look at our brains, and at what we more generally think of as our minds.
THE SEVEN SINS OF MEMORY is a groundbreaking work that will provide great reassurance to everyone, from twenty-somethings who find their lives are too busy, to baby boomers who mutter about “early Alzheimer’s,” to senior citizens who worry about how much (or how little) they can recall.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9780358296997

Daniel L. Schacter

DANIEL L. SCHACTER is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and received numerous awards for his research, including the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the Fred Kavli Distinguished Career Contributions Award from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. He is the author of many books on memory and neuropsychology, including The Seven Sins of Memory and Searching for Memory. Schacter lives in Newton, Massachusetts.  ,

Reviews for The Seven Sins Of Memory

[isatyajeet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Schacter approaches his task like a teacher. He focuses on seven problems with memory that have undoubtedly been experienced by the average reader:

1. Transience - Our memories weaken over time.
2. Absent-mindedness - We don't focus on what we need to remember.
3. Blocking - It's in our memory somewhere, but we can't find it.
4. Misattribution - We are wrong about where we learned something.
5. Suggestibility - Other people can "plant" false memories in us.
6. Bias - We rewrite the past with the pen of present beliefs.
7. Persistence - We keep remembering things we'd like to forget.

For each of these problems, he gives understandable examples. In the final chapter, the problems are discussed as a group, and the author states the opinion that these problems are a small price to pay for a memory capability that performs extraordinarily well.

In the early part of the book, there are references to specific functions of the various lobes of the brain and how those lobes may affect the processes of memory. As the discussion moves on to the rest of the “sins,” there are fewer references to objective scientific data, and more references to hypotheses and activity testing of various types. Professor Schacter does a thorough job of referencing the works of other psychologists, and summarizing their opinions.

An informative book, intended for non-technical people who want an overview of the field and a basic understanding of academic progress.

[krumbs_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting and readable book, but I don't know that it was all that applicable to me or my life. I read it because it sounded intriguing, but I have no idea what I got out of it. It would probably be more helpful to me if I were involved with psychology or neuroscience. I kind of get that a part of my brain could lead me to forget where I left my keys, but I know I'll still end up searching for them when I need to leave my apartment!