eli5: Why memorising require a lot of effort and repetition, and got forgotten after a while?
In: 3
Neural pathways in the brain are strengthened the more they are used. They’re also pruned when they’re not used. Memories are also just neural pathways.
It’s not really about “filling up” but rather not wasting resources maintaining something that isn’t needed.
because we have limited space in memory, and evolved strategies to avoid filing it up.
If something only happens once, it is not worth memorizing. If something did not happen for a while, it probably will not happen again, so best to get rid of it and clear space.
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