What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez

What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez
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Updated 14 May 2025 21:51
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez

What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez

As a graduate student at MIT, Steve Ramirez successfully created false memories in the lab. Now, as a neuroscientist working at the frontiers of brain science, he foresees a future where we can replace our negative memories with positive ones.

“In How to Change a Memory,” Ramirez draws on his own memories—of friendship, family, loss, and recovery—to reveal how memory can be turned on and off like a switch, edited, and even constructed from nothing.

A future in which we can change our memories of the past may seem improbable, but in fact, the everyday act of remembering is one of transformation.