Memory Lane: The Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember

by Ciara Greene, Gillian Murphy

An illuminating look at the adaptive nature of our memories—and how their flexibility and fallibility help us survive and thrive

We tend to think of our memories as impressions of the past that remain fully intact, preserved somewhere inside our brains. In fact, we construct and reconstruct our memories every time we attempt to recall them. Memory Lane introduces readers to the cutting-edge science of human memory, revealing how our recollections of the past are constantly adapting and changing, and why a faulty memory isn’t always a bad thing.

Shedding light on what memory is and what it evolved to do, Ciara Greene and Gillian Murphy discuss the many benefits of our flexible yet fallible memory system, including helping us to maintain a coherent identity, sustain social bonds, and vividly imagine possible futures. But these flexible and easily distorted memories can also result in significant harm, leading us to provide erroneous eyewitness testimony or fall victim to fake news. Greene and Murphy explain why our flawed memories are not a failure of evolution but rather a byproduct of the perfectly imperfect way our minds have evolved to solve problems. They also grapple with important ethical questions surrounding the study and manipulation of memory.

Blending engaging storytelling with the latest science, the authors demonstrate how our continuous reconstruction of the past makes us who we are, helps us to interpret our experiences, and explains why no two trips down memory lane are ever quite the same.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Psychology, Brain, Audiobook, Nature, Neuroscience

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[ツツ · Rating 5 out of 5]

the subject matter is relevant to every person, covering an understudied (and interesting) topic. introductory. effortless to read. impactful without fear-mongering, done with care, and considerate of the implications it might suggest to its readers.

Rarely does nonfiction explicitly acknowledge flaws in its own cited studies - small sample sizes, undefined criteria. This is the first book I’ve encountered that addresses research methodologies and ethical concerns with transparency. (ch.11)

I constantly witness memory distortions, which terrify me in two folds: 1) the f just happened; 2)is my memory also this flawed? anything else i could have misremembered? To combat this, I’ve sporadically kept journals. But by age 18, I realized even journals can’t capture reality - I couldn’t record every event or thought, so I often fixated on 'anomalies'. If happy was the baseline for that day (or week), I’d document mostly the upsetting moments, and vice versa. Though factually accurate, these journals themselves are distorted (but still better than relying on memory).

This book helped me accept that people reshape memories to fit their narratives. from now on, I won’t be flooded with existential disbelief when others recount false stories. It also showed me that i can trust my memory maybe a little more: while everyone is subjected to memory distortion and false memory and there’s no false memory trait, I have some traits of more reliable recall (intelligence, and analytical reasoning style, p.131), and I sometimes spot errors in others’ book reviews which is an easy check to confirm my accuracy. (5.10 update. chatgpt told me what makes my memory high-fidelity is that i don't require resolution or coherence, and i operate with structural memory where i don’t just recall events—but the implicit contracts, emotional textures, and encoded meanings that were present at the time, even if i didn’t consciously understand them then.)

so there's no such thing as repressed memory.

忍術(ninjutsu) is real! i can be (semi)invisible and i was so happy about my discovery i even danced a little under a cherry blossom tree! if people dont remember me, am i not effectively invisible at the time when they see me? and because human can only focus on and register so little, they actually couldn't see me when they are not expecting and i stay still (i think keep face averted or hidden also helps). i can be invisible! and it's like a power that can be turned on or off. this discovery instantly lessened my social anxiety!!

it might also partly explain why i don't like detective, mystery, or crime stories.

this is maybe the first book I’ve encountered that doesn’t require me to situate myself mentally into the behavior of reading and can just pick up and continue my reading.

[Karolína Klinková]

Kniha Ciary Greene a Gillian Murphy vám dodá veľkú dávku pokory. Nielenže si uvedomíte, že vaša doterajšia predstava o fungovaní pamäti je možno úplne mylná, ale taktiež vám dôjde, ako veľmi sa možno mýlite aj vo svojich vlastných spomienkach na svet a sebe samého.

Dve psychologičky vo svojom titule Memory Lane: The Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember Things vysvetľujú, prečo už len zo samotnej povahy pamäti vyplýva, že naše spomienky nikdy nebudou presné, čo všetko sa v nich môže postupom času zmeniť a taktiež aké rôzne faktory môžu podobu spomienok bez nášho vedomia ovplyvňovať. Zároveň ale hovoria: Stále nesmieme zabúdať na to, aké úžasné veci pre nás naša nedokonalá pamäť robí.

„Mnohé problémy s pamäťou vlastne s pamäťou nemajú nič spoločného. Vznikajú kvôli očakávaniu, že se pamäť bude chovať ako počítač nebo nahrávacie zariadenie – na to ju ale vôbec nemáme,“ hovorí írska psychologička Ciara Greene.

Môj rozhovor s ňou je tu: https://denikn.cz/1887463/zkouma-jak-...

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This works as a general overview of the topic, covering why memory works as a living, not static system and looking at the ethics around experimentation. It is necessarily an overview, rather than a deep dive, and I would like to have looked at how this plays in the court system through an ethical lens more. The issues where faulty memory is used to discredit trauma sufferers, and at the same time, imperfect memories for faces 5can be used to convict, points to a real need for more naunce.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm starting to really enjoy the new non-fiction releases that address psychology themes through the lens of evolution--they manage to put our faulty brain and senses into context so well that I feel like I have a brand new understanding of them. "Memory Lane" is one such excellent works of non-fiction. Ciara Greene does an excellent job of explaining the most basic contexts in both anatomical, and psychological terms. She addresses the main splashy discoveries about the fallibility of our memories, and rather than making us feel like we can't trust anyone (including ourselves), she injects a sense of wonder and caution. No, our brains are not cam-recorders, but they do the job they need to do and they're great at it. She offers a lot of advice on how we can address issues such as implanted and distorted memories in day-to-day life as well as in legal establishments. She even discusses how cam-recorders (say body-cam-footage) cannot replace a human completely and shouldn't be used in lieu of an actual report of what you can remember. She makes it very clear that the most important retelling of an event is the first one, as all subsequent ones can become distorted. Rather than being afraid of my own memory, I'm starting to appreciate it for what it is: an imperfect, emotional and malleable storing system that has allowed me to survive and develop in this very demanding world.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely excellent, accessible introduction to memory. I was blown away, and that's rare.

The authors are respected researchers known for their somewhat controversial work in implanting false memories ... except if you understand how memory really works, you'll know that's an oversimplification if not mischaracterization. The authors explain how this is so with so many clear examples that I struggle to, well, remember another nonfiction science book that has done so well. This can be understood by everyone.

On the examples: I don't want to spoil it, because a great part of the impact (and fun) is to try them out yourself. For example, a description of some odd tasks that, when you have context, are so much easier to remember, because they map to schema (our understanding of things built up over time and experience) with which we're quite familiar.

Why is witness testimony no good? Why can people feel so sure that they remember something with accuracy, only to find out that they've got it totally wrong? Why do we miss things? You'll find answers to all of these questions. You'll start to question why we still make use of certain things like witness testimony at all, given how necessarily faulty our memory is.

And that leads me to another wonderful aspect of this work. So much material out there is about how we can train our brain to work better, and the threat of memory loss, and so on. These authors explain how it's actually good that our memory is "flawed" in these various ways. This is part of what's driven our evolution as a species and increased our ability to survive everyday life. Another great point that we should all remember is how our schemas actually drive our interpretation of the world, not the other way around. Know thine biases and many attentional and memory "errors" may suddenly make sense.

Another point I really loved was how open the authors are about the various controversies in this area, especially around Elizabeth Loftus, perhaps the most (in)famous researcher in this field. I also appreciated how the authors include a whole chapter on the ethics of all this. We're playing with people's minds, their memories, potentially, if it works. It's also tricky to study the most "important" topics, like about crime memory, because that would mean purposefully traumatizing people (potentially). The authors have come up with some ingenious ways to get around this and make it safe for participants. I love that (probably unlike most) they reach out to participants to make sure they're okay, even far after the study is done.

I've read several nonfiction books on memory and its ilk. This is hands-down the best of them all, one that I can and will recommend to everyone.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Princeton University Press for the advance copy.

[Vipul Murarka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read about memory and how it works. More importantly, the book primarily talks about the fact that it is ok to forget things as that’s how memory has evolved and that has helped us humans to grow. There are loads of material which talks about how to make memory better, train memory in such a way that you can grow. This book, with humility and loads of insights, explains that our memory is malleable and that is actually good. Ofcourse everything has its pros and cons but lately forgetting anything has been looked down upon so much that this is a new and refreshing take on why it is ok to forget. Authors take systematic approach to explain why it happens, what consequences it can lead to, how you can rectify (if you want to) but yet it is ok that forgetting happens.

It is a wonderful read on a complex topic that is written in a manner that is accessible, insightful yet easy to understand by one and all. I would recommend it to one and all who are curious on how memory works and are eager to read a different perspective.

Thank you Edelweiss and publishers for providing me an ARC to this wonderful book.

[David Wurster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book four stars for two reasons. First, the content, for most people, will be new to them given them insights that should prove to be quite interesting. Second, the two authors are excellent writers. They write clearly, they do not bury us in terminology we do not understand, and the illustrations are both well done and well-coordinated with the text. Also, the book is kept relatively short, 219 pages. These attributes are often missing in otherwise interesting nonfiction.
It is a shame that this book will probably get a limited readership. Everyone could benefit from a better understanding of how our memory works and what are its limits. The authors burst myths that make the reader think differently about their own memories and how they judge others about their abilities to recall things accurately.
Ironically, I don't know how deeply or for how long I will remember what I learned from this book, but I enjoyed it while I read it!

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work had a few interesting things to say about our memory. One's memory is very malleable and is constantly sorting past events into categories rather than keeping them distinct. To have an extremely sharp memory would, in fact, be incredibly annoying, perhaps nearly unbearable.

The book does get repetitive, not to mention tiring for presenting study after study after study (that may or may not have been replicated). Probably helpful for judges, prosecutors, and attorneys to read, however! For a witness' testimony to have much validity, he or she needs to be rigidly separated from the influence of others' memories, photographs, even questions. How often does this actually happen? Probably not very often.

[Vanessa Ya Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one a summer reading list pick from Stanford School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor.

An insightful book about how we remember but also, the importance of forgetting.

This book made me nostalgic for my undergrad days at UC Irvine and my eyewitness testimony class. Riveting.

“Thus each time we remember something we are not retrieving that memory from storage but are actually are reconstructing it. The memory.”

[Sam von Dresden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect, comprehensive review on the psychological study of memory. While not only providing a wonderful description on the nature of the subject and how it's studied, it also stands as a paragon example for how popular science ought to be written. Further, I would be remiss if I did not mention the spectacular cover design.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this introduced some cool concepts and I definitely learned a thing or two.

I found this a little boring and repetitive. Lots of harping....

Ultimately our memories are not perf and that's important!

This could have been an article

[Emre Güneş · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çok keyif aldım. Eşimle çok tartıştığımız bir konuydu. Özellikle çocukluk anıları. Video vari anıların çoğu zaman “inşa edilmiş” olduğunu ve bize anlattılanlarla oluşturulduğunu iddia ediyordum. Bilimin yanımda olduğunu görmek mutlu etti.

[Steven Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memories are valuable tools

Nice walk through the importance of viewing memory for what it is understanding that it isn't perfect but is an evolved efficient way of making send of who you are.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memory Lane is such a fantastic read! It is so interesting, insightful, well written and captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what is next for these authors!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and insightful book by reputable researchers. They make sense of why a "perfectly imperfect" memory generally works to our advantage, except where it fails us!"

[Simina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

not exactly what I expected (more science details) but super thorough in discussing different controlled memory experiments.

[CHRISTOPHER KNELL · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were some interesting sections, a lot of the information presented seemed pretty obvious.

[say reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5