Scientists have said that people who forget small details like birthdays, names, or where you kept your car keys may bear signs of higher intelligence. Memory lapses are normal and there is no need to worry about forgetting things, say researchers.
According to a study, some people have more efficiency retaining information and their brains can take in more details. Then there are others who are unable to remember important details and information that was learned a long time ago. Study says that people who tend to forget these details show may be more intelligent as having a better memory doesn't necessarily mean they are super smart.
Paul Frankland and Blake Richards from the University of Toronto say that old memories can overwritten by new ones. They said that it is important for the brain to forget irrelevant details. People can instead focus and optimise their memory to help them make intelligent decisions in the real world.
Memories are stored in the hippocampus on the brain. It erases less important information so that the brain can focus on important things. Thereby helping us make wiser and better decisions.
Researchers reveal that in the effort to make space to take in relevant information, the brain resorts to this mechanism that we refer to as 'bad memory'. The brain, this way, does not waste energy on retaining trivial information.
However, researchers also warn that if you forget a lot of important information that you normally do, you should get medical help.