Do you have a bad memory? Scientists explain why we forget things

Have you ever been told you have the memory of a goldfish or a sieve for a brain? Or maybe you've already forgotten: if so, here's a handy list of tell-tale signs you might be losing your memory. Even if you are, don't worry, science says you are perhaps better off for it!

Amnesia and hypermnesia

While amnesia is rightly considered a disorder to be avoided at all costs, not enough is said about its evil doppelganger, hypermnesia, or the ability to remember absolutely everything. It's a condition that prevents the brain from sorting through all the information we generate over the course of our lives, leading us to store everything in our memory.

But we're drifting off on a tangent. According to findings by neuroscientists, forgetting may not be such a bad thing. In fact, it allows us to learn in a certain way.

Read more:Experts show link between lockdown and memory loss

Forgetting: why do we do it?

According to researchers, if we forget certain memories or information, it's largely because of the environment around us. In other words, our memory dependson the needs associated with it: forgetting therefore appears to be a way of adapting to a constantly changing environment.

In the article, published in thescientific journal Science Direct, we learn that forgetting is beneficial. This isbecause it enables us to select which drawer of memories and learning to open, depending on the behavior to be adopted. Our reasoning thus becomesmore flexible, leading to better decision-making.

Engram cells

Dr. Ryan, whose research team is based at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Ireland, explains: 'Memories are stored in sets of neurons called 'engram cells'' and remembering something accurately requires the 'reactivation of these ensembles':

By logical extension, forgetting occurs when engram cells cannot be reactivated. However, it is increasingly becoming clear that the memories themselves are still there, but the specific ensembles are not activated and so the memory is not recalled. It’s as if the memories are stored in a safe but you can’t remember the code to unlock it.

If you are having trouble remembering the 'code', here are two surprising things you could do to improve your memory. Try not to stress about it though - maybe you are just super easy-going.

Read more:

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⋙ Experts show link between lockdown and memory loss

Sources used:

Science Direct:Adaptive expression of engrams by retroactive interference

Neuroscience News: Forgetting: Not a Flaw, But a Brain’s Hidden Feature of Memory