# Cleaning our memory

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-our-memory/804959>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 20, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-our-memory/804959 "2017-12-20T23:36:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-our-memory/804959/1 "2017-12-20T23:36:00Z")

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I started noticing in my early 20’s that I would very quickly forget things I no longer had a reason to remember. Phone numbers, part numbers, general info no longer pertinent etc. Prior to that I seemed to remember everything and those things continued to stay in my memory for decades. As adults do we use a different method for memorizing things and store it differently somehow?

```
 I worked as a truck mechanic all my adult life. I would remember every trucks mileage, serial numbers, engine and chassis specs etc. Once we were staffed with computers containing all this info I no longer remembered even the most basic specs on the trucks. I don't believe this happens consciously.
```