By Marie Haaland // SWNS
Forgetting someone’s name after being introduced to them is more embarrassing than forgetting a significant other’s birthday, according to new research.
The survey of 2,000 Americans (aged 35+) found 32% believe forgetting someone’s name is the most embarrassing blunder — more so than even forgetting a partner’s birthday (22%).
Respondents were given a list of forgetful moments and asked to select which they would find the most embarrassing — and results found failing to remember an anniversary rounded out the top three (21%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Natrol’s new Cognium® Focus in advance of National I Forgot Day on July 2, the survey looked beyond moments that might fluster or leave us feeling MIF’d, and delved into how forgetful we are, potential reasons why and the effect it has on our lives.
Results found the average respondent draws a blank about six times a week — adding up to 332 forgetful moments per year.
And these hundreds of little moments can cause problems: A quarter of respondents (24%) have had a falling out with a friend or family member, while 17% have actually been broken up with for forgetting something.
To stop a disaster like that from striking, 43% have lied after forgetting something, in an attempt to cover their mistake.
The survey found over half (56%) of respondents consider themselves forgetful — and 66% said they’ve become more forgetful in the past decade.
Forty-five percent said their age has contributed to their increased level of forgetfulness, but that’s not the only factor.
Respondents also blamed the need to constantly be multitasking (38%) and modern technology (33%) as reasons they’ve become more forgetful.
“While technology has made people’s lives more convenient and accessible, it has also overloaded them with never-ending to-do lists to manage and keep track of,” said Harel Shapira, Director of Marketing at Natrol. “Technology and continuous multitasking impacts our brains, it clogs them and affects people’s short-term memory.”
The survey backed that up: 61% admit to not remembering things as well when they multitask, but 54% still said they’re always or often multitasking.
Multitasking and technology go hand-in-hand, and can lead to multitasking-induced forgetfulness. The survey found 66% of respondents use their cell phones to help them remember things — and of those, 77% would be at a loss without their phone.
But the amount of information available through technology can be overwhelming, as 65% of respondents agreed with.
Still, in good news, 43% are taking steps to improve their memory.
“Our daily lives have become more unfocused, busy and chaotic than ever before. With so much on our minds, we need solutions to keep us on track and manage all the moving parts,” said Dr. Mike Dow, Ph.D., Psy.D., “Brain overload can lead to a lack of focus and cause us to become more forgetful—but using products like Natrol Cognium can help improve memory and recall so your mind stays sharp.”
TOP FORGETFUL MOMENTS EXPERIENCED BY AMERICANS
- Forget a password 51%
- Forget things when I grocery shop 51%
- Misplace my keys 49%
- Forget what I went into a room for 49%
- Forget people’s names after being introduced 47%
- Have a word on the tip of my tongue and not remember what it is 46%
- Walk into a room and forget why I’m there 38%
- Forget where I put my pen 35%
- Forget what day it is 35%
- Forget to take a meal out to defrost 35%
- Misplace cell phone 35%
- Forget words to songs 35%
- Forget to mail something 34%
- Forget where the car was parked 33%
- Forget to respond to an email 32%
- Forget a friend or family members’ phone number 31%
- Misplace my wallet 31%
- Forget my pin number(s) 29%
- Forget what I’m searching for online 29%
- Forget to reply to texts 28%
FORMULA: Respondents experience 6.39 forgetful moments per week x 52 weeks in a year = 332.28 forgetful moments per year
