People often confuse knowledge of trivia as intelligence, but while they are related, they aren't really the same thing.
Anyone who was able to perfectly memorize their multiplication tables in school but still can't balance a budget knows this. Memorization is a useful skill, but so is the ability to forget information when it's no longer relevant.
That's why I'm usually one of the only people taking notes at meetings, even short ones. Not having to force myself to remember every small change in policy or whatever leaves my brain free to work on what's important.
Do I need to know the dialogue from The Princess Bride by heart? No, but I do.
Ask me when my Mum's birthday is, though... I'll have to check my calendar.
But a new study from the University of Toronto and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) shows that it may be just as important to be able to forget.
"It’s important that the brain forgets irrelevant details and instead focuses on the stuff that’s going to help make decisions in the real world," he explained.
"We find plenty of evidence from recent research that there are mechanisms that promote memory loss, and that these are distinct from those involved in storing information," said co-author Paul Frankland.
He is a U of T associate professor and senior scientist of neurosciences and mental health at SickKids.
Being able to forget insignificant details and focus on the larger picture helps with that, especially in a world where new info is constantly coming at us.
Richards said, "If you’re trying to make a decision it will be impossible to do so if your brain is constantly being bombarded with useless information."
"We always idealize the person who can smash a trivia game, but the point of memory is not being able to remember who won the Stanley Cup in 1972," he says.
"The point of memory is to make you an intelligent person who can make decisions given the circumstances, and an important aspect in helping you do that is being able to forget some information."
