We often experience forgetting as a frustration, or a glitch in the memory system. But new research shows it has real value.

Forgetting is a necessary condition of human existence. It allows us to set aside the inconsequential, so we can recall what’s important. Good memory depends on forgetting the irrelevant. Forgetting ...

Key points There are three distinct forms of forgetting. Our most intractable forgetting can be prevented with self-talk and by sharpening the focus of our attention. Retrieving a memory depends on ...