Member-only story
Why Your Brain Remembers Some Things and Forgets Others
The strange algorithm your brain uses to save memories.
Why do we forget most of our lives but remember the strangest moments?
- The smell of carnival popcorn.
- That awkward laugh during a date.
- The feel of rain on your skin one summer years ago.
It’s not random.
Your brain is secretly deciding what to save and what to delete.
- But how does it choose?
- What’s the hidden logic behind the memories that stick?
- And why are your emotions its favorite tool?
The answers involve seahorse-shaped brain structures, electric ripples, and the mysterious power of sleep.
The seahorse in your skull
Tucked in the middle of your brain is this structure shaped a bit like a seahorse — hence the name hippocampus. I imagine it lounging in a miniature coral reef, wearing reading glasses, deciding what’s worth remembering:
- By Day: It notes everything from that weird smell in the elevator to your employee’s raised eyebrow during the morning meeting.
- By Night: It replays certain moments to figure…