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
• 
• 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.