Part of the function of emotions themselves is to carve important experiences into memory, so learning love or addiction is visceral. These experiences aren’t just stored like other memories; the changes are deeper, longer lasting, and more pronounced. That’s is why it’s a lot easier to remember your first love than it is to remember the specific material you were taught in school the year you met him. Love and addiction change who we are and what we value—not just what we know.
