Have you ever forgotten where your socks are when you wake up in the morning? Can you remember what you ate for lunch a week ago? You may think that being forgetful is not a good thing. But now you should be thankful.
你有没有忘记早上醒来时你的袜子在哪里？你还记得一周前你午餐吃了什么吗？你可能会认为健忘不是一件好事，但现在你应该心存感激。
Scientists from the University of Toronto found that forgetting is actually a key part of learning. Clearing out unnecessary information can help our brains work better. What kind of information is unnecessary? Scientists say that this may have something to do with the environment we live in. In an environment that is always changing, our brains may require us to remember less. For example, a supermarket cashier meets many people every day and will probably only remember them for a short time. But a designer who often meets his or her customers will remember longer.
多伦多大学的科学家发现，遗忘实际上是学习的一个关键部分。清除不必要的信息可以帮助我们的大脑更好地工作。什么样的信息是不必要的？科学家表示，这可能与我们所处的环境有关。在一个不断变化的环境中，我们的大脑可能需要我们少记一些。例如，超市收银员每天都会遇到很多人，可能只会记住他们很短的时间，但一个经常与客户见面的设计师会记得更久。
That’s because our brains keep making new neurons from stem cells, said Paul Frankland, a professor at the University of Toronto. There is a special area in our brains called the hippocampus. It is important for us when we learn and remember things. When new neurons go into the hippocampus, they renew our old memories.
多伦多大学教授Paul Frankland说，那是因为我们的大脑不断从干细胞产生新的神经元。我们的大脑中有一个特殊的区域，叫做海马体，对于我们学习和记忆事物很重要。当新的神经元进入海马体时，它们会更新我们的旧记忆。
However, sleep has a great influence on our memories. When we don’t have enough sleep, we may have a hard time remembering new information. Sleep helps the brain store and keep new facts and information, said Matthew Walker from the University of California.
然而，睡眠对我们的记忆有很大的影响。当我们睡眠不足时，我们可能很难记住新信息。加州大学的Matthew Walker说，睡眠有助于大脑储存和保存新的事实和信息。
