# The higher your IQ, the more forgetful you are?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-higher-your-iq-the-more-forgetful-you-are/720235>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 17, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-higher-your-iq-the-more-forgetful-you-are/720235 "2015-05-17T13:37:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-higher-your-iq-the-more-forgetful-you-are/720235/21 "2015-05-18T20:38:49Z")

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> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Arthur Conan Doyle expressed the idea (through Sherlock Holmes) that there was only a finite number of facts one could learn. Once one’s knowledge reaches this maximum capacity, each new fact learned must result in an prior known fact being forgotten.
> 
> If there is any truth to this, then the most fact-encumbered brains must also be the most fact-porous as they continually drop facts to accommodate new ones.

\*\* Homer\*\*: But every time I learn something new, it pushes out something old. Remember that time I took a home wine-making course and forgot how to drive?

**Marge:** That’s because you were drunk!

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**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-higher-your-iq-the-more-forgetful-you-are/720235/22 "2015-05-18T20:50:41Z")

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> [@tapu](#):
>
> I must be fucking brilliant.

Huh, I didn’t feel a thing…

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