My memory is unreliable. Some things I try my very best to commit to memory, and fail terribly. Most notably people’s names. It is only some names I fail to recall, and never anyone who has a substantial presence in my life. But I do fare way more poorly than the average person.
Ask me to tell a single joke and I will struggle. Yet I have seen a lot of standup comedy, I enjoy immensely.
Yet other things I remember very well. Typically things that I have a peculiar interest in, like science.
My best guess to why I remember some things and not others is:
- I remember for my own purposes or amusement
- I don’t remember for the purpose of sharing with others
- I don’t remember for social purposes
Because I try, and fail, with many people’s names – I reckon I spend a good 5 minutes each day try to remember a name or two – I guess it is hardwired. Hardwired anti-social. Not that I want it that way.
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Perhaps along similar lines, I have literally had hundreds of drunken nights where I can’t recall the last few hours the next day.
Of course, I have analyzed those nights a bit. Seems that the most common trigger for memory switching off is when I can reasonably predict what will happen next. Like getting into a cab and heading home. It is as if my brain conserves whatever few strengths it has left for something more important. Thirty minutes of sitting silently in a cab, struggling with the front door lock and collapsing in bed – these are standard and not worthy of remembering.