Forgetting

<p><strong>'Fascinating and useful'</strong> Walter Isaacson bestselling author of <em>The Code Breaker</em> and <em>Leonardo da Vinci</em></p> <p><strong>'Upbeat'</strong> <em>The Wall Street Journal</em></p> <h2>Racking your brain? Drawing a blank? Maybe it's not such a bad thing...</h2> <p>Until recently it was largely believed that forgetting served no purpose. Besides causing slight frustration the odd slip of the mind was thought of as an inevitable but harmless defect in the brain's functionality.</p> <p>But new research in psychology neurobiology and computer science tells a different story. Forgetting is not a failure of our minds nor is it a benign glitch - it is in fact good for us and is a required function for our minds to work best. As annoying as a lapse can be it's precisely this that opens up our minds to making better decisions experiencing joy and flourishing artistically.</p> <p>Through case studies personal anecdotes and scientific explanations <strong>Professor Scott A. Small</strong> challenges the conventional wisdom that memory retention is always beneficial. He provides a comprehensive look at the benefits that forgetting can bring to our cognitive and creative abilities emotional well-being and even our wider societal health.</p> <p><strong>So the next time you forget where you left your keys remember that a little forgetting does a lot of good.</strong></p>