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From The Guardian: Why do we forget books we’ve read? We ask an expert.

Ever thought about a book you’ve read, and had no recollection of the plot? Or followed a recommendation to watch a TV show, only to find you’ve already seen it? We live in an age of mass content, with TV, books and films consumed at some of the highest levels in recent years. Could this be wreaking havoc with our ability to remember them? I asked Dr Sean Kang, a cognitive psychologist who specialises in memory: why do I keep forgetting the books I’ve read?

I did English at uni and it’s embarrassing how often a former classmate will mention a book I have no recollection of. My theory is it’s because I’m a journalist, and dealing with words all day is doing something to my brain.
Interesting intuition! One of the prominent theories of why we forget is interference. I’m going to assume you have read many other books?

Shucks, Sean, I think that’s the nicest thing any interviewee has said to me! But yes, I’d say so.
You probably read many books before and after the book your classmate is talking about. What happens is, when you’re trying to retrieve a memory of that book, all the information from other books interferes. Probably in your profession there’s even more opportunity for similar information to interfere.

Read full post on The Guardian