Episode

How memory works (and doesn’t)

Podcast: Harvard Thinking
Published: Dec 3, 2025
Duration seconds: 1729
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Canonical source: https://harvard-thinking.simplecast.com/episodes/memory-qT_UScm8
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Markdown: /podcast/harvard-thinking-6767250/how-memory-works-and-doesn-t.md

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Summary

We rely on our memories for so much. Memory is the foundation of our sense of self, ability to learn new information, and stay safe. But our memories are also highly suggestible, and we often misremember events or fabricate memories entirely. In this episode, host Samantha Laine Perfas talks with science researcher Dan Schacter, Alzheimer’s expert Margaret O’Connor, and neuroscientist Venki Murthy about the science of memory – and how we can remember better.