For one, in a constantly changing world old information becomes outdated and not as important to remember. The other important reason reflects a concept used in models for artificial intelligence known as regularization. This principle aims to get computer models to learn how to make generalizations based on large amounts of data. In order to do this, there must be some forgetting of details in the data involved in order to prioritize the core information that is necessary for decisions.
The big take-away from recent neurobiological research on memory is that the best thing for storing memories is to not memorize absolutely everything, notes Richards.
Skip to main content. What can we help you with? Give them a date, and they'll vividly recall where they were, what they were wearing, and what happened on that date. One woman with HSAM says having a perfect memory is a huge burden. Perhaps key to overcoming our own anxieties about memory loss is knowing the signs of dementia and Alzheimer's.
Misplacing your keys or forgetting a lunch date is normal memory loss , and does not have to be cause for alarm. These lapses happen to everyone. Understanding and accepting the adaptive aspect of normal memory can help us relax into daily hiccups.
Memory malfunction is just part of being human, and, in most cases, it's better to just forget about it. Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer Feature. Health Science Life. Vaccination Nation. Federal appellate panel extends stay of Biden workplace vaccine requirement. Speed Reads. Black Friday deals have already unofficially arrived. Most Popular. Boomers use 'woke' more than other generations, hate 'OK boomer,' survey finds. Measure content performance.
Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. While you might find yourself wondering why is my memory so bad , forgetting is part of life and people forget surprisingly fast. The reality is that while the brain is capable of impressive feats, its capacity to store and recall details is limited.
There are a few different ways and reasons that we forget things. Forgetting is the loss or change in information that was was previously stored in short-term or long-term memory.
It can occur suddenly or it can occur gradually as old memories are lost. While it is usually normal, excessive or unusual forgetting might be a sign of a more serious problem. Have you ever felt like a piece of information has just vanished from your memory? Or maybe you know that it's there, but you just can't seem to find it. The inability to retrieve a memory is one of the most common causes of forgetting.
So why are we often unable to retrieve information from memory? One possible explanation of retrieval failure is known as decay theory. According to this theory, a memory trace is created every time a new theory is formed.
Decay theory suggests that over time, these memory traces begin to fade and disappear. One problem with this theory, however, is that research has demonstrated that even memories which have not been rehearsed or remembered are remarkably stable in long-term memory. Research also suggests that the brain actively prunes memories that become unused, a process that is known as active forgetting. As memories accumulate, those that are not retrieved eventually become lost.
Sometimes people forget due to a phenomenon known as interference. Some memories compete and interfere with other memories. When information is very similar to other information that was previously stored in memory, interference is more likely to occur.
There are two basic types of interference:. Sometimes the act of remembering something can lead to other things being forgotten. Research suggests that retrieving some information from memory can lead to retrieval-induced forgetting.
This is particularly common when memory retrieval cues are very similar. While this causes forgetting, research also suggests that this type of forgetting can actually be adaptive. By forgetting one memory in favor of another, it reduces the chance of interference happening again in the future. While interference can make it difficult to remember some things, there are things you can do to minimize its effects.
Rehearsing new information is often the most effective approach. By essentially overlearning new things, it is less likely that old information will compete with new. Sometimes, losing information has less to do with forgetting and more to do with the fact that it never made it into long-term memory in the first place.
A growing body of research offers a more welcome excuse: Forgetting stuff can actually be a byproduct of rigorous thinking, smooth decision-making or heightened creativity.
Forgetting can help us block out useless or outdated information and keep us from fixating on a single set of ideas or thoughts. And contrary to the notion that forgetfulness reflects a withering of brain cells, scientists say it can actually be driven by the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus, a brain region linked to memory. Still, forgetting can serve a purpose, enabling us to think more clearly by eliminating interference from competing thoughts.
This pattern is called retrieval-induced forgetting. It makes it easier to access memories that get used a lot, and more difficult to retrieve memories that compete with them, says Michael C. Anderson, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Cambridge in England and a leading researcher on the topic.
He likens the process to search-engine optimization for the brain. Anderson says. Then, she encouraged them to turn their focus to what they could learn from the experience, and to parts of the project that turned out better because of their work. The discussion changed how employees remembered the project.
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