Forgetting details proves you're healthy!
Not remembering certain details is actually a sign that your brain is healthy! This is the result of Blake Richards and Paul Frankland, two researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada, who published their study in the journal Neuron on June 21.
They found in this study that the creation of new neurons in the hippocampus (area of the brain that plays a central role in memory) would promote forgetfulness. Professor Blake Richards said, "It is important that the brain forgets unnecessary details and focuses on things that will help make choices in the real world."
Photo credit: A young handsome boy holds his head in his hand because he forgot something / Shutterstock
For those who worry about losing memory games, Blake will reassure you: "We always idealize the person who wins in trivial pursuits, but what makes memory useful is not being able to remember remember who won the Stanley Cup in 1972. It's about making yourself an intelligent person who can make decisions based on the circumstances, and one of the main aspects is helping you to do so by being able to forget informations ".
Researchers have noticed that synaptic connections between neurons intentionally weaken, allowing new neurons to rewrite over them and make old connections more difficult to access! So the question is, why does our brain take time to force us to forget? Two hypotheses were put forward by the two researchers.
The first would be that forgetting would free us from our memories of things we don't need. The second would concern generalizing events, remembering only the most important details to help us make new decisions without worrying about the little things. According to them, the amount of forgetting differs from the environment in which we find ourselves. Thus, a space in which change is rapid would encourage a faster rate of forgetfulness.
So of course, not remembering information necessary for everyday life can mean serious problems, but this study suggests that a certain amount of forgetting can make you smarter.
Source: Neuron