Myth: We never forget

Myth

We never forget. Some accelerated-learning programs claim that we never forget what we learn. Knowledge simply gets "misplaced" and the key to good memory is to figure out how to dig it out

Fact

All knowledge is subject to gradual decay. Even your own name is vulnerable. It is only a matter of probability. Strong memories are very unlikely to be forgotten. For a healthy adult, the probability of forgetting one's name is like the probability of getting hit by an asteroid: possible but not considered on a daily basis. A memory may be retrieved with effort at first, however, after a while forgetting becomes permanent. At some point, memories are lost for good. See: Forgotten memories are ultimately lost for good

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