Poor memory is a sign of intelligence, scientists claim

For every time you didn't take the bin out and locked yourself out or forgotten your mate's birthday, you finally have an excuse. You're just too clever!

Assistant Professor Blake Richards, from the University of Toronto's Biological Sciences department, claims that forgetfulness is actually a sign of intelligence, according to a new study.

The study suggests that having a strong memory is actually really overrated, and concludes that forgetfulness allows you to make better decisions by preventing generalisations based on outdated information.

Richards told UNILAD: "The real goal of memory is to optimise decision-making.

"It’s important that the brain forgets irrelevant details and instead focuses on the stuff that’s going to help make decisions in the real world.

"It's thought that the human brain functions more efficiently when it invests in discarding older information."

Richards also added: "If you’re trying to navigate the world and your brain is constantly bringing up multiple conflicting memories, that makes it harder for you to make an informed decision.

"We always idealise the person who can smash a trivia game, but the point of memory is not being able to remember who won the Stanley Cup in 1972.

"The point of memory is to make you an intelligent person who can make decisions given the circumstances."

So there you have it. You no longer need to feel bad about forgetting important dates or being terrible at trivia, instead you can bask in your new found intelligence. You're welcome.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Napping is actually really good for your health, science finds

• If your life is a mess, science shows you’re more intelligent

• People who are always late are more successful and live longer, says science