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Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

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Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#21

Post by rybosome »

nadermx wrote: post #6
rdtsc wrote: post #3

> Memory isn’t just a passive recording device: our brains decide what matters, and emotional events can reach back in time to stabilize fragile memories So they are saying … attention is all you need? :-) If it’s surprising or shocking enough you’ll pay very close attention to it and remember it. Also smells have a very strong recall factor. You smell the same unique smell and it immediately takes you back to the ti…

For those who don't get the reference. It's googles breakthrough paper on LLM's. https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762

Those of us subscribing to AI newsletters are constantly slapped in the face with “___ is all you need” style jokes, such that I didn’t even register someone might not make that connection.

Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#22

Post by reddit_clone »

iambateman wrote: post #11

Honestly, I’m glad my memory isn’t better. The other day my wife said “remember when [our daughter] screamed for the whole morning on vacation?” But I didn’t until she reminded me in detail. Having a fuller memory seems likely to contain more stressful moments.

There are other benefits.

- You can read your favourite books every couple of years and not be bored.

- You can watch your favourite Movies and TV Serials every few years. (almost time for Expanse rewatch..)

- IMO it makes you a better/gentler person. I don't hold grudges because I can't be arsed to remember why exactly I was mad at someone.

Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#24

Post by makeitdouble »

jonahx wrote: post #8

There's an arbitrariness, a mundaneness to some indelible memories that defies this explanation. Or any explanation like this. It feels partly true. But there's got to be more, in my experience.

> It feels partly true

I think that's the most we can ever expect from studying a complex system.

On the arbitrariness, I wonder how it goes if a triggering event happens, the circumstances are retroactively prioritized as well, but down the line the event itself gets forgotten/deprioritized.

In computer terms, it's probably not some atomic transaction that will be fully rolled back, and it probably can misfire as well, so there must be a wealth of memories that are attached to the same prioritization principle but in some broken way.

Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#25

Post by accrual »

rdtsc wrote: post #3

> Memory isn’t just a passive recording device: our brains decide what matters, and emotional events can reach back in time to stabilize fragile memories So they are saying … attention is all you need? :-) If it’s surprising or shocking enough you’ll pay very close attention to it and remember it. Also smells have a very strong recall factor. You smell the same unique smell and it immediately takes you back to the ti…

> You smell the same unique smell and it immediately takes you back to the time and place. At least that’s how it works for me.

I have experienced this too. Recently I was in new place I've never been before and while waiting in line at a shop, I randomly smelled something that instantly gave me déjà vu for my very early childhood, like age 5 or less. It was wild how vivid and fleeting it was - it lasted only for a moment but I remember the sensation.

Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#26

Post by kazinator »

That time I drove to the store three years ago to pick up some milk and bananas, I totally don't remember where I parked.

Memorable moments have to be different:

- They can't be repeating signals that are uninteresting (e.g. remembering a particular time you brushed your teeth)

- They can't be random noise (remembering the pattern of some ceiling tiles or something).

Hofstadter's "aperiodic crystals" concept is related to this.

Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#27

Post by accrual »

parpfish wrote: post #15
rdtsc wrote: post #3

> Memory isn’t just a passive recording device: our brains decide what matters, and emotional events can reach back in time to stabilize fragile memories So they are saying … attention is all you need? :-) If it’s surprising or shocking enough you’ll pay very close attention to it and remember it. Also smells have a very strong recall factor. You smell the same unique smell and it immediately takes you back to the ti…

I have a pet theory that the reason that smell-based memory is so strong has something to do with the fact it’s the only sense that bypasses the thalamus. Smell is wired up to the brain… differently

Yeah, that mirrors my anecdotal experience. Certain smells give me a sensation of recall very different from simply thinking or remembering something.

Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#28

Post by nenenejej »

psyclobe wrote: post #5

I remember the dumbest things from eons ago… In a drivers ed meeting.. teacher talking about stop lights, he mentions the cross walk signs and said “Well get to those soon..”. But he never did. I think about this way too much.

A perpetual unclosed paren of your life.

Re: Why do we remember some life moments but not others?

#30

Post by dgfitz »

psyclobe wrote: post #5

I remember the dumbest things from eons ago… In a drivers ed meeting.. teacher talking about stop lights, he mentions the cross walk signs and said “Well get to those soon..”. But he never did. I think about this way too much.

Conversely, I haven’t thought about drivers ed in 25 years and you just brought probably 40 very distinct memories back to mind about everything related to learning to drive for me that I haven’t thought about in a long, long time.
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