Forgetting

Intriguing New Science. For much of human history and even for much of the last few hundred years - when our scientific knowledge has seemingly gone into warp drive itself, sleep was said to be nothing more than the land of dreams, that humans could work at peak efficiency without much of it at all. Forgetfulness, even in many circles now, has been seen as a negative of various extremes, from embarrassing to debilitating.

But what if we've had it all wrong, and forgetting is actually one of our more useful adaptations? What if sleep actually plays a significant part of this process?

Here, neuroscientist Small examines what we've learned - in many cases, much of it over the last decade in particular - about just how imperative forgetfulness is to the very existence of the human body and human society more generally. From the social/ societal benefits all the way to the molecular, intra-cranial benefits, Small examines it all in a text that is clear enough to work in the “popular science” realm while still giving plenty of technical and precise details. Very much recommended.