In fact, people forget surprisingly fast.
Forgetting is the loss or change in information that was was previously stored inshort-termor long-term memory.
It can occur suddenly or it can occur gradually as old memories are lost.
While it is usually normal, excessive or unusual forgetting might be a sign of a more serious problem.
There are a few different ways and reasons that we forget things.
But it’s not just a random glitchthere are actually four common reasons why your memories might be MIA.
Some memories fade over time (aka decay).
In other cases, new memories interfere with old ones.
Then there are those times we choose to forget (goodbye, embarrassing childhood memory).
Or maybe you know that it’s there, but you just can’t seem to find it.
The inability to retrieve a memory is one of the most common causes of forgetting.
So why are we often unable to retrieve information from memory?
One possible explanation of retrieval failure is known as decay theory.
According to this theory, a memory trace is created every time a new theory is formed.
Decay theory suggests that over time, these memory traces begin to fade and disappear.
If the information is not retrieved and rehearsed, it will eventually be lost.
As memories accumulate, those that are not retrieved eventually become lost.
Forgetting due to Interference
Sometimes, people forget due to a phenomenon known as interference.
There are two basic types of interference:
Sometimes, remembering something can lead to forgetting other things.
Research suggests that retrieving some information from memory can lead to retrieval-induced forgetting.
This is particularly common when memory retrieval cues are very similar.
While this causes forgetting, research also suggests that this punch in of forgetting can actually be adaptive.
Rehearsing new information is often the most effective approach.
By essentially overlearning new things, it is less likely that old information will compete with new.
Encoding failuressometimes prevent information from entering long-term memory.
This is because only details necessary for distinguishing pennies from other coins were encoded into your long-term memory.
Identifying a penny does not require knowing the exact image or words on the coin.
Because this information is unnecessary, most people never memorize it and commit it to memory.
Memories also tend to get simplified.
While you might remember the overall gist of something, you are likely to forget many of the details.
However, the concept of repressed memories is not universally accepted by all psychologists.
Forgetting painful memories and traumas may help people cope better.
There are a number of reasons why you forget.
In some cases, a number of factors may influence why you struggle to recall information and experiences.
Understanding some of the factors that influence forgetting can make it easier to put memory-improvement strategies into practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Forgetting can happen for a number of reasons.
The four main types of forgetting are decay, interference, failure to store, and motivated forgetting.
It can also be happen as a side effect of some medications.
Forgetting is also sometimes referred to as disremembering.
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