Ponderings on Forgetfulness
I heard an interesting fact the other day, and it's amazing I still remember it: People forget 95% of what they hear after three days. Furthermore, people forget 85% of what they hear and read after three days. However, they remember 50% of the information they hear, read, and discuss. I've been ruminating on this all week and have a few observations...
Church/Temple/Synagogue/Mosque. Once or more a week, people of faith gather under the tutelage of their respective higher ups to imbibe words of wisdom. If only 5% of the sermon is remembered, why do people continue to make the effort? What difference does it make personally and globally? The world is still a sad, dangerous, depraved place and it seems that it would be a lot better if people were remembering and practicing what was preached. Or is there another disconnect between the hearing and the doing, besides forgetfulness?
Self Help Books. They are still going like hotcakes but have people improved all that much? We are much more aware of our issues, diagnoses, and causes and have affixed blame appropriately, but is the world a better place because of it? If not, is it because people have forgotten what they read or is there is a different disconnect between the reading and the doing?
School. Apparently, we only remember 15% of what we learned reading and listening to lectures all those years. For me, the other 85% went into the black hole of maintaining my social life, fashion, rock 'n roll, and extra-curricular activities. Good thing we don't stop learning when our formal education ends.
Maybe our brains are not fully attending at any given time. We're processing too many things at once - incorporating our five senses with random thoughts with the message at hand - and chucking the unnecessary information. Maybe we do compute but choose not to act on the information we receive. Sometimes we just don't feel like it.
One take away point from these statistics: Write everything down.
Church/Temple/Synagogue/Mosque. Once or more a week, people of faith gather under the tutelage of their respective higher ups to imbibe words of wisdom. If only 5% of the sermon is remembered, why do people continue to make the effort? What difference does it make personally and globally? The world is still a sad, dangerous, depraved place and it seems that it would be a lot better if people were remembering and practicing what was preached. Or is there another disconnect between the hearing and the doing, besides forgetfulness?
Self Help Books. They are still going like hotcakes but have people improved all that much? We are much more aware of our issues, diagnoses, and causes and have affixed blame appropriately, but is the world a better place because of it? If not, is it because people have forgotten what they read or is there is a different disconnect between the reading and the doing?
School. Apparently, we only remember 15% of what we learned reading and listening to lectures all those years. For me, the other 85% went into the black hole of maintaining my social life, fashion, rock 'n roll, and extra-curricular activities. Good thing we don't stop learning when our formal education ends.
Maybe our brains are not fully attending at any given time. We're processing too many things at once - incorporating our five senses with random thoughts with the message at hand - and chucking the unnecessary information. Maybe we do compute but choose not to act on the information we receive. Sometimes we just don't feel like it.
One take away point from these statistics: Write everything down.
Always happy to read your musings - great topics and insights. Middle age can bring mental fog; upsetting for some. I've always been a bit absentminded. Forgetfulness can be a good thing, too!
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Well, thank you, Shelli. At least I can stop being disturbed by the fact that I got an entire degree -- a stringent bachelor of science degree in horticulture -- and remember next to nothing. Sounds like the same thing probably happened to just about everyone else who went to school and didn't start using what they learned PDQ. Yes, I've wondered what is the point myself many times. But the director of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business recently gave me some insight as I toured with my college-bound son. I asked what was the point of calculus and trigonometry for students who had no intention of pursuing any degree that would ever use it. Because these classes teach a system of thinking, he answered. And I'm sure gutting through all my science classes and labs also taught me discipline and perseverance. So maybe we're not picking up much specific information, but maybe what we are learning is the most critical after all.
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You're so right. One other thing I remember - in college, my academic advisor said college and graduate school are where a person learns how to find information, or learns how to learn.
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