During a recent study, a team of researchers proposed a theory that forgetting represents a form of learning. The study has been published in the 'Nature Reviews Neuroscience Journal'.<br /><br />The scientists behind the new theory suggested that changes in our ability to access specific memories are based on environmental feedback and predictability. Rather than being a bug, forgetting may be a functional feature of the brain, allowing it to interact dynamically with the environment. In a changing world like the one, we and many other organisms live in, forgetting some memories can be beneficial as this can lead to more flexible behaviour and better decision-making. If memories were gained in circumstances that are not wholly relevant to the current environment, forgetting them can be a positive change that improves our wellbeing.<br /><br />So, in effect, scientists believe we learn to forget some memories while retaining others that are important. Forgetting of course comes at the cost of lost information, but a growing body of research indicated that, at least in some cases, forgetting is due to altered memory access rather than memory loss.
