Can I Actually Trust My Own Memory?

Welcome to the Figuring It Out podcast. What if some of the memories you’re certain happened didn’t happen quite the way you remember them? Dr Alex George and research scientist Dr Kathryn Bates explore the neuroscience of memory and false memories: why some people can remember their childhood in vivid detail while others remember almost nothing, how our brains reconstruct the past, and the groundbreaking experiment that showed how changing a single word could alter what someone remembered about a car crash. Plus, is photographic memory actually real? What does alcohol really do to your memory? And can hypnosis unlock repressed memories or could it actually create false ones? No lectures. No easy answers. Just two people trying their best to figure it out. Have a question or dilemma you'd like us to tackle in a future episode? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@figuringitoutpod.com. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to like, subscribe and let us know in the comments: What topic should we try to figure out next? We're not here to give medical advice, we’re just two friends exploring the science and figuring out life together. If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor. Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome back to Figuring Out 02:26 – Why Some People Remember Everything (and Others Remember Nothing) 08.39 – The 108-year-old Woman Who Changed Neuroscience Forever 16:10 – ADHD, Autism & the Memory Link Nobody Talks About 22:38 – The Scary Truth About Manipulating Memory 27:39 – Is Photographic Memory Actually Real? 40:39 – What the Co-Founder of Pixar Discovered About How We Think 47:45 – Myth, Fact or It’s Complicated: Does Alcohol Erase Memories, or Just Hide Them? 51:22 – Can Hypnosis Unlock Repressed Memories? I speak with workplaces and organisations about mental fitness. If you’d like to find out more, please email Faye at fb@insanity.com. Check out my new book - Am I Normal? https://tinyurl.com/f78r3bje Order my book - The Mind Manual https://tinyurl.com/mt7fhkze Order my children’s book - A Better Day https://tinyurl.com/bdeh9vkr Download The Men's Mental Fitness App - Mettle https://linktr.ee/mettleapp