About the episode
Good news for anyone who sometimes forgets their keys: according to a new book, this is completely normal and does not necessarily have to be due to your memory.
Storing and retrieving information is an incredibly complex process. Some people, for example those with a photographic memory, are particularly good at it. But for most of us it is hard work.
According to these American writers, it is only logical that we occasionally forget things: there must be space in our brain to continue to store important general knowledge. Knowledge that needs to be adjusted occasionally as we learn and experience more.
Because we don’t worry much about our memory much of the time, except when it’s not working properly, we have a distorted view of how good our memory is.
You might think: if you are always looking endlessly for your keys, water bottle, phone and cards when you leave, things are not going well. But according to these researchers – and this is regardless of diseases that can influence this – our brains are simply not very good at this task. Certainly not when we are also tired or stressed, or when a lot of coffee or alcohol is involved.
Our brains are a lot better at this, if it’s a matter of survival. One way to deal with this is to pair something you need to remember with something you cannot ignore. The authors give a rather disturbing example of this: put your bag in the backseat so that you don’t forget to get your child out of the seat when you go to the supermarket.
Apparently a daily concern in the US. The book contains many more tips about training your memory, but if you occasionally forget your keys, you are definitely not the only one. And isn’t everything wrong with your memory?
Read more about the book here: Losing keys and everyday items ‘not always sign of poor memory’
