Why are high school memories burned into our brains? | Frank T McAndrew

Trapped in a holding pen of teenagers brimming with hormones, we experience emotions so strong they monopolize our recollections

For better or worse, many of us never forget high school: the unrequited romantic crushes, chronic embarrassment, desperate struggles for popularity, sexual awakening, parental pressure and, above all else, competition - social, athletic, academic.

There's even an entire genre of entertainment that revolves around high school. Beverly Hills 90210, Mean Girls, Heathers, The Breakfast Club and Fast Times at Ridgemont High all revisit the conflict and angst of these years.