If you find yourself constantly forgetting that you have a doctor's appointment, meeting with your friend, or even forget to text one of your friends back, you're going to want to read this article.
Being forgetful, according to a new study, might mean that you're actually smarter than you think. Research out of the University of Toronto suggests that your memory optimizes decision making by only remembering valuable information and forgetting unimportant details.
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
If the brain decides to "forget" some smaller details about something you heard before, but you can still remember the larger picture, it allows us to generalize previous experiences better.
Your brain doesn't want to burden you with remembering some of the little, irrelevant tidbits, but instead, it focuses on the things that are going to help you make decisions in the real world. So, maybe you should go easier on yourself when you forget the reason you walked into the mall and wander around aimlessly for a few hours.
Your Situation And Environment Matter
The information that the brain "loses" depends on the situation and environment. Look at it this way — if you work at a massive department store, you're probably not going to remember every single person you see that day.
But, if you work at a small little boutique store, you're probably going to remember all the regulars you see and talk with on a regular basis. Every customer matters a little bit more if you're in a little mom and pop shop.
What Does Your Memory Have To Do With Your Health
The moral of this article is that forgetting details about events and memories is something that could be a sign of your overall health. A healthy memory isn't necessarily someone who just remembers absolutely everything.
According to Professor Blake Richards, one of the publishers of the study, the best technique for storing memories is to NOT memorize everything. If you're trying to make a big decision, it will be impossible for you to remember everything if you're trying to store useless information.
The Criteria For Forgetting
Professor Richards and Paul Frankland, the other publisher, did say that if people forget important things at an alarming rate, this could be a cause for concern.
If you're looking for the criteria for what distinguishes an environment where you're going to want to remember versus when you want to forget, they lay out simple guidelines. Basically, it's a question of how consistent the environment is and how likely things are to come back into your life.
Bitter Trivia Losers Rejoice
Bitter trivia losers will rejoice in the fact that Richards stated, "We always idealize the person who can smash a trivia game, but the point of memory is not being able to remember who won the Stanley Cup in 1972."
So, long are the days when forgetfulness went hand-in-hand with a lack of intelligence. We're living in a new age that praises forgetful people. So, when you forget your grandma's birthday you can tell her that she should be thankful.
