ABSTRACT
When people experience failures of memory, they often express the desire for a panacea to prevent such failures from ever happening again. Of course, what they usually want is a “memory pill” to eliminate the need to exert any effort toward developing this vastly improved memory. Most people apparently believe that memory improvement should be effortless, despite recognizing that improvement of other skills such as squash or bridge requires intensive practice and dedication. Moreover, they do not seem to consider the negative consequences of never forgetting anything. We do not want to remember the loss of family and friends, the embarrassing moments, or indeed the old telephone numbers of our personal past. We need to forget, just as we need to remember.
