Forget and invent

Most studies in brain cognition and age focus on memory retention and  the ability to identify familiar objects and redo past activities. Although this is an important avenue of research, there may also be other areas of consideration. For example, brain plasticity – habits, knowledge and biases included – is a major hindrance to innovation. One of the primary reason innovation does not correlate with education is that higher levels of education constrains the brain significantly and reduces the degrees of freedom in thought. If the brain is able to shed some of the memories and habits, then it may be in a better position to innovate. Age, considered to be an encumbrance to innovation, could also provide a framework in which innovation can be jump started, if the brain can be shaken up a bit. So, memory retention and the ability to repeat activities, cannot be shown to be good in all cases.

There appears to be an inverted U relationship between time and the ability to innovate. Early on, the youth, sporting an elastic brain, find it difficult to innovate as they do not have sufficient information to do so. As they mature, there appears to be a critical juncture in which the brain plasticity has not yet set in and the individual has garnered sufficient information to extend and innovate. As they get older, plasticity dominates and they quickly lose the ability to further innovate. However, if the brain can be rendered elastic again – by selectively erasing habits and preferred corridors of thought, then there is a possibility that innovation can continue. In some cases, this can be much more effective as the older individual likely has a much more complex framework.

The stigma society attaches to the loss of memory results in huge investments targeted at reversing the phenomenon. Perhaps, it is useful to look into the beneficial effects of such loss of memory.