Alexis Baer about 250 words
anb8@geneseo.edu

Student, INTD: Writing Science
Public-Facing Science Writing
by Alexis Baer

The essay, “Can We Learn How to Forget?” by Bahar Gholipour discusses how different parts of the brain work together in terms of memory function. This piece of writing is effective because it shows how memory could be influenced from past experiences which can ultimately be used to learn a lesson. For example, running as a child may have lead to serious injury in which we learned to walk slowly and be cautious. The hippocampus is the main structure where memories are “stored”, mostly dealing with long term memories, and the amygdala ties directly into this because it controls emotions. In the meantime, Neuroscientists decided to interfere with the hippocampus to see if few or all memories would be affected and how, this resulted in the poor ability to retain current or old information. I find it interesting that the article states, “…trying to actively forget a particular memory can negatively affect general memory”. This is significant because it shows the reader how purposely forgetting memories may have an overall negative impact on your brain and its memory system. In my own opinion, this generation cannot learn to simply just forget their memories. On a daily basis, without intentional purpose, one little thing can trigger multiple different memories at once. The constant reminder of past situations or events, whether it be positive or traumatic, can make it increasingly difficult for individuals to overlook their own past.

Found:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-we-learn-how-to-forget/