Some people are forgetful, while others remember everything. Scientists know how the brain remembers things. There is little research on how it forgets things. Researchers in the USA studied how the brain forgets. The research may help people with memory problems. It may also help people who have depression and dementia. A researcher said: "It may sound surprising that people can control what and how they forget."

The researcher said forgetting was important to keep the brain working smoothly. She said we can remove information from our minds. This is lets us focus on important tasks. We can control what we forget, but the act of forgetting needs a lot of effort. Another researcher said forgetting unimportant information is useful. Researchers will now look at why we forget simple things like where we left our keys.