The article explores how our brains encode and compress memories, creating a cohesive sense of self through time. It highlights that memories are not saved as linear records but as abstract snapshots, allowing people to perceive time fluidly. This phenomenon explains why individuals often feel mentally anchored in a recent version of themselves, regardless of age, and why early years rich in novelty seem longer than later years filled with routine. The constructive nature of memory, influenced by imagination and emotional context, further shapes our experience of time.
The brain compresses memories into highlights rather than a linear record, making us feel anchored to a recent version of ourselves, irrespective of our age.
The brain's memory compression mechanisms allow us to perceive time fluidly, which explains why people often 'don’t feel their age.'
Events from the past five years may feel temporally equivalent because they have been compressed into fewer and more significant mental bookmarks.
Memory is not just a vault of information but a constructive process where imagination plays a critical role in how we perceive our past experiences.
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