Why Life Speeds Up with Age: On the autobiographical memory
Autobiographical memory is not a common topic of psychology, which feels ill at ease with a subject not readily open to scientific generalisation. But for that very reason it is highly popular with the general public. The associated problems are both concrete and intriguing. Where does the sense of deja vu come from? Why do we keep blushing years after a past humiliation? Why does life seem to pass more quickly with age, and why do dying people sometimes see scenes from their youth flash by in their mind’s eye? Each of us has wondered about these questions at some time, but psychologists prefer to steer clear of them for fear of being thought quacks.
An engagingly presented and intelligent examination of the metaphors, past and present, employed in the explanation of memory. The author has combined historical erudition and familiarity with recent work in a volume that will be of interest to a broad readership as well as to specialists.
Kurt Danziger, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, York University, Toronto
Douwe Draaisma has written a superb history of such metaphors of memory.
Steven Rose, The Times Higher Education Supplement
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