Proč je někdy lepší zapomínat – Small Scott A. (2024)

We associate memory more with something that needs to be exercised, and we dread diseases that rob us of the ability to remember. However, the author, a leading American expert in Alzheimer's disease research, poses the opposite question: Is forgetting useful? And with the help of a number of interesting examples and case studies, he concludes that it is. For instance, while autistic individuals may have phenomenal memory, they struggle to generalize and see what is typical. People with post-traumatic stress disorder experience distressing memories returning in flashes, and therapists try to weaken their intensity, for example, through exposure therapy. Therefore, it is not surprising that the author comes up with the metaphor of 'letting something go from your mind, and thereby forgiving it.' Scientists also believe that the function of sleep relates precisely to sorting memories and forgetting the insignificant ones, as reflected in the idiom 'sleeping off something.' In the book, the author also draws on his personal memories from military service in the Israeli army and 35 years of work as an expert on memory and its disorders. Last but not least, he assures us: With the help of neuroimaging methods, it is now possible to reliably distinguish between pathological forgetting and that which is a normal manifestation...