Social memories are encoded in a distinct region of the brain. What’s more, we remember social information more accurately, a phenomenon that psychologists call the “social encoding advantage.” If findings like this feel unexpected, that’s because our culture largely excludes social interaction from the realm of the intellect. Social exchanges with others might be enjoyable or entertaining, this attitude holds, but they’re no more than a diversion, what we do around the edges of school or work. Serious thinking, real thinking, is done on one’s own, sequestered from others.
