42 – The Answer to Almost Everything

For a long time, we have regarded forgetting as a weakness of the human mind. But: “What if forgetting is not a mistake of the brain? What if it has a function? What if our brain lets go of information when it makes sense?” asks neuroscientist Tomás Ryan. Unlike pathological forgetting, which worsens with age and illness, could normal forgetting be a stroke of genius on the part of our brains? It is only thanks to forgetting that we can cope with the flood of information and emotionally stressful experiences. But how much forgetting is good, and when does it become torture?