What does it mean for a person to have a bad memory, according to psychology?

Few things generate as much interest when analyzing human intelligence as understanding how our memory works. Forgetting names, losing objects, or not remembering what was said just a few minutes ago isn't always a sign of a serious problem. In fact, in many cases, so-called "poor memory" is not only common but could be linked to certain psychological traits and even complex thinking styles. What's the explanation?

While having a poor memory can, in some cases, represent a symptom of health problems such as chronic stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, or even neurological disorders, as the BupaSalud website points out, it shouldn't always be interpreted as a warning sign. A closer look reveals that memory doesn't work the same for everyone, and that its apparent shortcomings may have less worrisome explanations than is often thought. Psychologists have identified multiple factors that can explain this type of frequent forgetfulness, many of them related to how a person perceives and processes reality.

As an article published in the journal VegOut indicates, far from meaning a deficit, having a poor memory may even be associated with superior cognitive abilities or certain personality profiles.

Forgetting the name of someone we've just met may seem, at first glance, like a distraction or carelessness. However, various psychology experts claim that this type of mistake is linked to traits such as abstract thinking. Thus, those with this quality tend to focus more on complex ideas than on concrete details, such as proper names, which leads them to filter out what they consider irrelevant.

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Another factor that influences this is the global perspective . People with this orientation tend to focus on the context or essence of an interaction rather than on specific details. Thus, for them, the value of a conversation may lie in its emotional or intellectual content, rather than in accurately remembering who had it or what was said. (READ MORE: What is the difference between retirement pensions and old-age pensions in Colombia ?)

The importance of connecting with others

Empathy also plays an important role. Those who connect emotionally easily may pay more attention to another person's mood than to their name. And in the case of creative or introverted individuals, forgetfulness may be due to an excess of stimuli or a high level of internal processing , which leads them to overlook practical information in favor of their own thoughts or reflections.

So what is often dismissed as a " poor memory" may actually be an expression of the unique way each person's mind works. Far from being a flaw, it may be a sign of an active, focused, or deeply empathetic mind.