There are, of course, several reasons for us to care deeply about these ques- tions.

The study of
emotional memories provides a fabulous opportunity to explore the biological basis for memory
formation, building both on what we already know about the biological processes relevant to
memory, and on what we know about the biological concomitants of emotion. The study of emo-
tional memories also is crucial if we are going to understand autobiographical memory in general,
for the reason that the consequential events in our lives, the events that make us who we are,
usually are emotional in one fashion or another. Therefore, if we seek to understand how people
think about themselves, their lives, and their personal past, we must understand emotional
memories. Finally, the study of emotional memories is important for another reason. Psychologists
have become increasingly interested in the problem of how eyewitnesses to crimes remember
what they have seen. This is obviously an issue of both theoretical and practical importance, and,
since eyewitnesses are typically angry or afraid during the crime, here too we nd a reason to
scrutinize emotional memories.

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