25. It's a good thing people forget

25. It's a good thing people forget

 Think about all of he sensory inputs and experiences you have every minute, every day, every year and throughout your lifetime!  If you had to remember every single thing, you'd be unable to function; you have to forget some things. Your brain is constantly deciding what to remember and what to forget, it doesn't always choose the memories that are most helpful, but it keeps you living!

The Forgetting Curve

In 1886, Herman Ebbinghaus created a formula  showing degradation of memories. R=e(-t/S) R= memory retention S= relative strength of memory t= time

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Caption: : Herman Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve

In Conclusion

People are always going to forget, no matter how good their memory is.  What people forget might not always be a conscious decision, but it keeps your brain healthy. When designing, keep forgetting in mind. When presenting something with important information, don't rely on people to remember it, have a way for them to easily look it up.