Fascinating science blends with engaging prose in this highly entertaining exploration of how memory works-- and how to make it work better.

In this extraordinary book, scientist Rebecca Rupp explains how and why memory works the way it does. What are the chemical processes that occur in the brain when we remember--and how do they account for the "absentminded" or "steel trap" qualities in an individual? Rupp also tackles topics that have been the subject of intense public debate. She examines the concepts of repressed and fantasized memories, such as ones of alien

abduction: are they the result of horrifying experiences that have been shunted off into the depths of the unconscious? Or are they fantastic constructs of the human mind?

Memory decays with awful rapidity, and a vital aspect of the study of memory is its loss. Why does memory change as we grow older? How can we improve our ability to remember, and how can we keep forgetfulness at bay? Committed to Memory features useful memory-improving techniques and tricks to remember essential information. Learn to defeat that common bugbear of memory, the forgetting of proper names; pick up a quick trick for remembering telephone numbers; and find out how to enrich your mind (and impress your friends and colleagues) by memorizing lengthy poems. Tips like these lend a practical edge to this illuminating voyage through a largely uncharted realm.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED . . .

¸         Why you can remember your first date but not what you had for lunch last Tuesday?

¸         What slugs, bugs, and squirrels have to tell us about human memory?

¸         Why we can't remember people's names?

¸         How the smell of pine trees or buttered popcorn can help you remember?

¸         Why dieting may make you forget?

¸         Why practice makes perfect?

¸         How a spell of the moody blues can affect your memory?

¸         Why dreaming may help us to remember?

蘿普（Rebecca Rupp）

與夫婿及三個兒子現居美國佛蒙特州，他們共用一台牽引機、一架望遠鏡，還有一具平底雪橇。她有細胞生物學博士學位，為數本全國發行的雜誌撰稿，還寫了許多本書，包括《紅橡木與黑樺樹》、《你從來不知道的鳥類祕密》。她也會把事情給忘光--除非她已經事先寫下來了。

譯者簡介

洪蘭

是福建省同安縣人，加州大學實驗心理學博士。曾任聖地牙哥沙克生物研究所研究員，加州大學研究教授。一九九二年回台任教於中正大學；現任陽明大學神經研究所教授。譯作有：《腦內乾坤》、《快樂就健康》、《腦中有情》、《華人性格研究》、《透視記憶》、《講理講好》、《詞的學問》（以上皆為遠流出版）、《語言本能》、《教養的迷思》、《揭開老化之謎》（以上為商周出版）等。