A world-leading pioneer of our understanding of human memory, Prof. Charan Ranganath joins Robin Ince to reveal how and why we remember – and how to hold on to what we hold most dear.

We talk about memory as a record of the past, but here’s a surprising twist: we aren’t supposed to remember everything. In fact, we’re designed to forget.

Over the course of twenty-five years, neuroscientist Charan Ranganath has studied the flawed, incomplete and purposefully inaccurate nature of memory to find that our brains haven’t evolved to keep a comprehensive record of events, but to extract the information needed to guide our futures.

He joins us to unveil the principles behind what and why we forget and shines new light on the silent, pervasive influence of memory on how we learn, heal and make decisions. By examining the role that attention, intention, imagination and emotion play in the storing of memories, he will provide a vital user’s guide to remembering what we hold most dear.

Praise for Charan Ranganath’s Why We Remember:

‘A radically new and engaging explanation of how and why we remember … a tour de force of both individual and collective importance.’ – Matthew Walker

‘Not only will every reader remember better afterward, they’ll also never forget this life-changing book.’ – Siddhartha Mukherjee

‘There is no one better positioned than Ranganath to guide readers on a tour of this inner landscape.’ – David Eagleman

This event is presented in partnership with the Royal Society of Medicine. The RSM is one of the UK’s leading providers of continuing learning for healthcare professionals. They bring people together to have the medical conversations that matter. Their vision is “Better Healthcare for Better Lives” and as a registered charity and membership organisation they aim to achieve this by sharing learning and supporting innovation across all areas of healthcare.