BEING FORGETFUL MAY NOT BE HARMFUL IT, MAY MEAN YOUR BRAIN IS WORKING EFFECTIVELY

This is not my usual arena but I had to share this with the world. Today I delve into some bit of the Science world to have a look at why we forget details in several occasions and I happened to find out that forgetting is not actually a bad sign as we all perceive but rather a sign of the brain working.

One time or another, we all have found ourselves forgetting some number of items or activities that we ought to do. Either we have forgotten our shopping list and get to the mall and have no idea on what exactly we were to buy and the quantities to buy or go to the groceries and forget the items that may be most helpful. Also, worst of all times forgetting that one detail in an examination room and you find yourself staring at the ceiling waiting for the memory to get the answer from the ceiling (We can all attest to that scenario where you find yourself cursing your brain for forgetting). However, being forgetful may not be too bad or as serious as it was thought of after all. It a sign that your brain is actually working properly. Not remembering trivial details may actually be a sign your brain is better at separating the wheat from the chaff.

This idea on an effective memory being indicated by a sign of forgetfulness had been conducted previously, but the latest research, conducted by the University of Toronto in Canada and published in the journal Neuron, backs up previous research works performed.

It was found that growth of new neurons in the hippocampus, part of the brain that is associated with the memory promoted forgetfulness. According to the research conducted, the purpose of the brain forgetting some details was to make room for more important information and remove the unwanted or unnecessary details from the brain. This I would say is some form of renovation of the brain similar to how, we renovate our own houses and get rid of the unwanted things and retain necessary items or buy new items needed.

According to Professor Blake Richards from the University of Toronto, lead author on the study, said in a statement, “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.”

“The point of memory is to make you an intelligent person who can make decisions given the circumstances, and an important aspect in helping you do that is being able to forget some information.”

Previously, in 2007, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to monitor the brains of 20 healthy adults while they performed a simple memory test. It suggested people were better at remembering conflicting information, rather than repeat or easy information.

Michael Anderson of the University of Oregon told New Scientists that “The process of forgetting serves a good functional purpose.”  “What these guys have done is clearly establish the neurological basis for this process.”

Richards’ study, which is the most recent study, did not provide any experimental evidence but instead, reviewed previously published papers to get to their conclusion. They found evidence that proves forgetfulness is useful rather than only being viewed as an ailment.

The process whereby, the brain has to get rid of unwanted materials in the memory to create space for new content has been found to have benefits which are:-

• The brain wants to get rid of unnecessary content like old passwords, old usernames, old addresses. This is because, if the brain is to keep on refreshing unwanted content in the memory, it will be harder for people to make valid decisions that have a sound base.
• It is easier for people to generalize previous events like where one visited multiple times rather than remembering each visit in detail with the events that took place in each visit.

Therefore, the next time you forget some detail do not be worried. That is a sign that your brain is “rusty” and requires some more new content to refresh itself and requires some feeding of the memory.

Share, like and leave your comments on the comment section below on your ideas on the new discovery.

Source: IFLSCIENCE

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