This is why you forget everything you read
And how to solve it
You forget 80% of what you read the day after starting a book.
The reason we forget much of what we learn the next day can be explained by the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve (Practical Psychology, 2023). A concept developed by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late 19th century. According to his research, memory retention declines sharply within the first 24 hours of learning new information, unless that information is reviewed or reinforced. This rapid forgetting happens because our brain prioritizes efficiency, filtering out information it deems unnecessary.
This probably happened to you when you were a student: moments before an exam, you tried to study as much information as possible from your notebook, reading non-stop. Then, when the teacher handed out the exam, you “vomited” everything you’d crammed into your head just moments before. However, shortly after scribbling down everything on the exam paper and passing the test, you completely forgot what you’d “studied.” This technique of cramming as much information as possible doesn’t work for long-term learning.
Our brain forgets easily, because not only do we have a learning curve, but we also have a forgetting curve.
