It is not uncommon for someone to experience a sudden forgetfulness or forget that it has become part of their daily lives. Whether it's forgetting small things such as places to store keys, glasses, wallets and other items, people's names and faces, forgetting promises or just forgetting information that has been learned in the past. Sometimes we also often forget what to do in the middle of activity. Forgetting that too often can indicate a disturbance in memory, but forgetting within the limits that are still reasonable can actually make the brain smarter.
Forgot to be a sign of intelligence
The part of the brain that regulates cognition and controls memory as intended is the prefrontal cortex which is located behind the forehead. In this area the memory that is owned will be changed in two directions namely stronger or weaker. The cause of forgetting is the increasingly weak memory. In several studies, it was revealed that forgetting something is normal and can actually make it smarter. The reasons for forgetting to make you smart include:
1. Maintain important information
Forgetting usually occurs because old memory is replaced by new memory, because the formation of new brain cells formed in the hippocampus area is related to the process of learning new things. Old memory will be difficult to access because it is overwritten by the new cell. Changing the old memory with the new one will allow you to maintain important information and release less important information.
2. Adapting to new situations
Old information that is discarded and replaced with new information will make it easier for you to adjust to the new situation, which certainly gives a lot of torrential new information to your brain. Without the old information that is less relevant, then you will not be confused to determine which information is in the brain that can be used.
3. Make the right decision
Forgetting old information replaced by new information will help you to make the right decision. The reason why forgetting to make you smart is to forget old information that is not related, the brain can freely process the information needed in accordance with the current state.
4. Get rid of misleading information
The reason why forgetting to make you smart is when the brain releases outdated information, it will allow us to adapt new situations. By forgetting old information and potentially misleading, we will be easier to maneuver in an environment that continues to change. If you try to go through life and continue to get misleading information, confusing and overlapping memories, it will be increasingly difficult to make the right decisions.
5. Discard useless information
Making smart decisions does not mean you have to have all the information at once, only means that you need to know the most valuable information. That means cleaning up the space in your memory for the most recent information. Forgetting is a process of discarding that information so that your brain will only store data that will help and be relevant to the present.
6. Help see the big picture
When you forget names or details, the brain is making choices that the details are not very meaningful. The researchers found that the human brain facilitates decision making by stopping us from focusing too much on less important past details. The brain actually promotes generalizations to help remember the most important aspects. One of the things that distinguishes the environment you will want to remember with an environment where you want to forget a few things is how consistent the environment is and how likely certain events return to your life.