: How do we forget something easily even if we try to remember it as hard as we can, but the same thing comes to our mind when we are not even thinking about it?
In:
It’s presque vu or tip of the tongue phenomenon. When you’re trying really hard to remember one thing your brain starts to sift through all the information you have stored and blocks them off trying to locate the piece of information you’re looking for. But in doing so it inadvertently blocks out the very thing you’re trying to remember. So after a while, when you’ve stopped thinking about it, it suddenly occurs to you.
I’m a programmer and I saw how real and software neurons works. I’m not a specialist on either ones, but this is what I remember:
Each neuron stores information, and it creates connections with other neurons. Information is stored redundatly. So lets say you forgot the name of apple brand, you want to say it, but you can only say iphone, expensive and electronics. Why does this happens?
Well, lets asume that on each neuron there is information about only one word:
Neuron A: Apple
Neuron B: Iphone
Neuron C: Expensive
Neuron D: Electronic
Now, information on our brain is being moved all the time.(Not sure if ALL THE TIME, but it definitely moves). So now, information that was on Neuron A is no longer there, but don’t worry, there has always been a backup of this on A235 and F192, so you haven’t lost it. As I’ve said before, lost information is stored on several neurons at the same time.
So, whenever your brain whants to find A, he knows he can be reached through B, C and D. Except that at this time, “Apple” is not on Neuron A, or Neuron A died. So you brain is following the path you normally use to reach that information, except that it isn’t there anymore. Its like if you have the google maps gps onto your favorite food truck, but now it has changed locations. You go there, but it is no longer there because it has been moved.
So, you do other stuff and suddenly something happens:
Neuron A is back online
Information is back on neuron A
A new sinapsis is made to relate B-C-D with a backup neuron A235
Other similar stuff in your brain, I’m by no means an specialist.
So now you can either find it agin in the same place or in a new one. The food truck equivalent would be that either the truck comes back to the same place you used to know, or you go around and find it somewhere else and save this to your google map GPS.
I’m unsure if I’ve been clear, and it has been a long time since I studied that.
some of the answers so far do a good job of explaining how memory generally works. unfortunately i don’t think any of them take the next step and successfully answer the OP’s question, which I’m guessing (I’m by no means an expert but psych BA and lifelong follower of cog sci) has to do with conscious vs unconscious recall. it would be great if someone who is an expert could address that part of the question.
Related to this: Why is it that when I have a great idea, I’m convinced there’s no possible way I could forget it? So I don’t write it down and of course I forget it.
Psych major here.
Your mind isn’t organised in the systematic way that we usually organise things, like by clear categories, alphabetically, by size, etc.
It organises itself by association to other things, so the only way to find the memory is to trace the string of associations. When we deliberately try to remember something, we use strategies that we’re used to, but it’s not necessarily the way the brain actually organises it.
But when we go about your day normally, our brain does things by association naturally, and might just remember it. Also, your brain probably will just encounter it by chance and it just seems significant to you only because you tried to retrieve out recently. You probably remember a lot of things you didn’t find significant as well.
Here’s the ELI5:
You’re trying to find a needle in a haystack. You start doing so by systematically inspecting the straws one at a time but you eventually give up because you can’t find the needle.
Later that day, you’re going about your work and you step on the haystack and find the needle in your foot.
If you think about it a lot and can’t forget it, it probably means that you should remember that, not that you make the same mistake.
Because your mind can find things better then your focused connciosness. Mind is all inclusive, connciosness is a singular point.
I think it’s the opposite of deja vu called jamais vu (or presque vu) idk but vsauce made a video explaining it.
Basically the harder you try to remember something your brain will try to focus on a certain things by blocking other information but instead ended up blocking the thing that you actually want to remember. When you stop thinking about it, the brain will stop blocking information and that thing you want to remember will usually come back.
So most of the time if im experiencing this i’d try to distract myself from the thought, which is counter-intuitive but it often works
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