World Famous Comics: Where Did I Leave My Glasses?: The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss
Where Did I Leave My Glasses?: The What, When, and Why of Normal Memory Loss
By: Martha Lear Publisher: Wellness Central Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Wellness Central Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 272 Publication Date: February 01, 2008
Product Description: So your memory's not what it used to be? You forget people's names, or what you were just about to say, or why you went into the kitchen. Often you forget where you left your keys (your wallet, your glasses, your list of Things to Do Tomorrow). And you worry. You wonder: Could this mean I am losing it? Join the crowd, friend. there are seventy-eight million baby boomers in the country, and memory loss is the number one concern of the boomer generation. The "Worried Well," specialists call them. They worry because they do not know that most memory lapses that begin in middle age are universal and normal. Award-winning journalist Martha Lear, who gave voice to widespread frustration with medical care in her New York Times bestselling memoir Heartsounds, now explores this kind of forgetfulness--why it happens, and when, and what can be done about it. She interviews distinguished neuroscientists, psychologists, and evolutionary biologists, as well as friends and strangers about their own memory lapses. Interweaving dramatic new findings from brain-scan studies with often-hilarious anecdotes, Lear covers topics as fresh and provocative as the upside of memory loss, the differences between His and Her memories, why we are actually wired to forget, and what the future holds for memory enhancement (you can't imagine what's in store). You'll learn things you never knew before about why your memory behaves in such maddening ways. You'll find comfort and reassurance. And you'll probably find yourself on every page.
After you find your glasses, read this book! Excellent book. Easy to read with great sense of humor. If you are at the age of needing magnifying glasses, do read this. You will find the difference between losing it and normalcy explained. Made me feel much better to know I am not the only one with memory issues. I dont remember the title of the book, but it was great.
Stop me before I buy every copy of this Masterpiece Where did I leave my glasses? Where did I leave my keys? Why did I come into this room... what was I after? What was I talking about? Did I call you or did you call me? This witty, well researched, clearly written analysis of what happens to our memory as we get older is comforting in the sense that it suggests we aren't losing our mind... just our memory... and it's gonna happen to EVERYONE, in greater or lesser degrees. Every time I turned a page, I said to myself, "Yeah, that happens to me... Yeah, that happens to me." The author is not talking about serious medical conditions, Alzheimers and the like...just our everyday garden variety run of the mill forgetfulness. Age, and the little grey cells shrink too, but CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE TO AGING! This is a very KOOL book!
do you remember this? Dear Martha: I hope you are reading your reviews. I'd like to get in contact with you to see if you remember something in particular. You were the first to use the term "second wave" in a 1968 NYT article. Do you remember how you learned of this term? I am researching the origins of the important and influential term. My email is edubois@ucla.edu. Thanks in advance.
Am I gtting Alzheimer's This book is a rare treat. It is both informative and entertaining. Many of us "of a certain age" worry that our memory lapses are a sign of early Alzheimer's. What a relief to be told that it is normal to forget where I put my glasses as long as I still know what function eyeglasses serve. I purchased several copies of this book to give to my friends as birthday gifts.
If you lose things, this book is for you There is that niggling little fear that you've forgotten something, it happens to all of us, usually regardless of age. My friend Shelly was talking to me on the phone and she asked me, "Hey, do you know this woman, um, she's on my caller ID?" I ask, "What's her name?" Shelly responds, "I don't know, I can't remember, I have to find the phone and look at caller ID." I'm quiet while Shelly ambles through her house looking for her phone, which as best I know, since I'm on the other end, is attached to her hand and ear. Shelly's staccato laughs, "Oh, I am so dumb, I have the phone in my hand."
Exactly! Author MARTHA WEINMAN Lear with sensitivity and wit talks about all the feelings that accompany the fact that we think we're going into early senile dementia when we forget small details, for example, that I often forget the name of a parent of one of my children's friends. I can't keep track of all of them, most of the time they are just a voice on the other end of the phone line, and then I'll see them at the market and I can't remember which kid is friends with their kid, and who is their kid anyway? But baffling enough I remember their face. According to Lear and her research, this is absolutely normal. This is not early senile dementia. There are also easy ways to remember things.
Some easy ways to remember things are: make lists; associate someone's name with a rhyme, or a factoid about them. Remember that you just met Chuck Stein and he has a black Lab named Zorro. Every time you see Chuck, you ask how the Lab is doing, even if you can't remember Chuck's name. Memorize by repetition at certain intervals. For example, repeat a person's name, then wait ten seconds and repeat it gain, then wait twenty seconds and repeat. Incrementally increase the time between repetitions and your memory will improve.
A fantastic book filled with levity related to a grave concern a lot of people have about memory loss, along with great advice on how to grasp the information you need that is just out of reach, and don't forget, it's perfectly normal.
Armchair Interviews says: Good news. It's perfectly normal.
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