Most of us agree with the statement that good memory means the ability to store many events in memory for a long time.
But it turns out, according to the findings of a recent study, forgetting about certain things is just as important as remembering them, because it prevents the mind from cluttering up with useless information.
Reject information
Researchers redefined the definition of good memory after finding that areas of the brain actively push information out of our minds to provide us with the optimal information we have for making informed decisions.
“It's important that the brain can forget about irrelevant details and instead focus on things that will help make decisions in the real world,” said Blake Richards of the University of Toronto.
"We find a lot of evidence that there are mechanisms that contribute to memory impairment, and they are different from those that provide storage of information," - added researcher Paul Frankland of the University of Toronto.
In other words, if the partial memory impairment is unsatisfactory, it could affect our mental capacity.
“If you’re trying to navigate this world and your brain is constantly throwing up many conflicting memories, it’s difficult for you to make an informed decision,” said Dr. Frankland.
Promotional video:
The research results are published in the journal Neuron.
Sergey Lukavsky