Stuff You Should Know SYSK Selects: How Amnesia Works
Dec 7, 2019
Dive into the fascinating world of amnesia and its real-life implications, contrasting with Hollywood depictions. Discover profound cases like Clive Wearing, revealing the surreal challenges of memory loss. Explore how emotions and stress intricately influence memory, and learn about the complex workings and classifications of memory types. The episode also sheds light on coping mechanisms, cultural representations, and even ethical considerations surrounding this mysterious condition.
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Clive Wearing's Amnesia
- Clive Wearing, a musician, has amnesia with a memory that refreshes every few seconds.
- He can still play piano but doesn't remember playing afterward.
Individualized Memory
- Memory is highly individualized; how memories form and what we remember differs per person.
- Even basic perceptions, like the color green, might be experienced differently.
Short-Term Memory
- Short-term memory holds immediate information, about seven items for up to 30 seconds.
- The hippocampus filters this information, deciding which pieces get encoded into long-term memory.