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Why Your Brain Remembers Some Things and Forgets Others

The strange algorithm your brain uses to save memories.

Jano le Roux
The Startup
6 min readJan 16, 2025

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Illustration of a human silhouette with a staircase leading to a yellow door inside the head, symbolizing the concept of unlocking the mind or exploring memory. The background is a vibrant coral color with clouds and silhouettes of plants, adding a surreal and thought-provoking atmosphere.
Illustration

Why do we forget most of our lives but remember the strangest moments?

  • The smell of carnival popcorn.
  • That awkward laugh during a date.
  • The feel of rain on your skin one summer years ago.

It’s not random.

Your brain is secretly deciding what to save and what to delete.

  • But how does it choose?
  • What’s the hidden logic behind the memories that stick?
  • And why are your emotions its favorite tool?

The answers involve seahorse-shaped brain structures, electric ripples, and the mysterious power of sleep.

The seahorse in your skull

Tucked in the middle of your brain is this structure shaped a bit like a seahorse — hence the name hippocampus. I imagine it lounging in a miniature coral reef, wearing reading glasses, deciding what’s worth remembering:

  1. By Day: It notes everything from that weird smell in the elevator to your employee’s raised eyebrow during the morning meeting.
  2. By Night: It replays certain moments to figure…

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Jano le Roux
Jano le Roux

Written by Jano le Roux

An award-winning marketing consultant who helps high-growth brands craft marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing. Open to help—jano@likeflare.com—Join me ⤵️

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