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Scientists know more about how we forget

Forgetting - Level 0

Some people are forgetful; others remember everything. There is almost no research on how the brain forgets things. Researchers in the USA studied this. Their research may help people with memory problems, depression and dementia. A researcher said it was surprising that people can control what and how they forget.

The researcher said forgetting information keeps the brain working smoothly. Forgetting things lets us focus on important tasks. We can control what we forget, but it needs a lot of effort. Researchers will now look at why we forget simple things like where we left our keys or people's birthdays.

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Forgetting - Level 1

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.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Forgetting - Level 2

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Some people are forgetful, while others can remember everything. Scientists know a lot about how the brain remembers facts and experiences. There is little research on how the brain forgets things. A new study looked at this. Researchers from the USA studied how the brain forgets things. The researchers study the brain and how it thinks and works. Their research may help people with memory problems. It may also help people who have depression and dementia. The lead scientist said: "It may sound surprising that people can control what and how they forget."

The scientist said forgetting was important. She said it keeps the brain working smoothly. The research found how people removed information from their brain. The researchers said we can remove information from our minds. This is important to be able to focus on important tasks. Although we can control what we forget, the act of forgetting needs a lot of effort. Another researcher said that forgetting "no-longer-relevant information" is useful, "but it doesn't happen automatically". Researchers will now look at why we forget simple things like where we left our keys.

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Forgetting - Level 3

Some people are very forgetful, while others can remember everything they have done. Scientists know a lot about how our brains store and remember facts and experiences. There is little research on how or why the brain forgets things. A new study looks at forgetting. A team of researchers from the USA studied the brain's process of forgetting things. The researchers are cognitive neuroscientists. They study the brain and how it thinks and works. Their work may help people who have memory problems. It may also help those with depression and dementia. The lead scientist, Marie Banich, said: "It may sound surprising that people can control what and how they forget."

Professor Banich said forgetting is important. She said it keeps the brain working smoothly. Her research found ways that people remove information from their brain. She said: "We have control over the ability to remove information from…our thoughts." This is important because it means we can focus on more important tasks. However, although we can control what and how we forget, the act of forgetting needs a lot of effort. Another researcher, Sara Festini, agreed. She said: We've found that intentionally forgetting no-longer-relevant information from the mind is beneficial, but it doesn't happen automatically." Researchers will now look at why we forget recent events, like where we left our keys.

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