Keeping a spotless mind: the neuroscience of 'motivated forgetting'

Sat 28 September 2019

Pembroke College

People usually consider forgetting to be a problem - a human frailty to be avoided and overcome. Yet, a memory system that works too well burdens us with irrelevant and distracting information, and makes it difficult to adapt in the aftermath of unpleasant life experiences. Neuroscience has increasingly recognized that a healthy memory benefits from the ability to forget, and has established the existence of active mechanisms that foster forgetting of unwanted memories. Dr Anderson discusses research revealing how the brain accomplishes motivated forgetting, and how these brain mechanisms shape what we remember of life experience, protecting our mental health.

Cost: Free