Does the human brain run out of memory space?

Unlike computers or phones, the human brain doesn't work with a finite storage capacity. Instead of having a fixed number of memory cells, the brain remembers by connecting and reactivating networks of neurons spread across different regions of the brain.

Human memory evolved not for the purpose of accurate memorization, but for survival. Therefore, the brain only prioritizes storing valuable information that helps humans adapt to the living environment - Photo: Freepik

Many people complain that they sometimes feel like their brains "can't remember more" when studying for exams or when they're sleep deprived, but scientists confirm that the human brain is not easily "overloaded". Human memory is designed to adapt and support survival, not to retain every detail of life.

Human memory is not like a hard drive

According to Professor Elizabeth Kensinger, a psychology and neuroscience major at Boston University (USA), the brain has no real limit to the amount of information it can store. Memories are not stored in a separate "compartment" but are spread across many interconnected neurons.

A memory like a 12th birthday party will activate many different brain regions at the same time: colors from the visual cortex, the taste of the cake from the gustatory area, the song from the auditory system, and emotions from the emotional center. When you recall it, the brain "awakens" the entire pattern of activity.

It's this distributed storage that allows the brain to form a virtually unlimited number of memories, according to Live Science. Even if some cells are damaged, memories can still be retrieved because they're not dependent on a single location.

If memory is unlimited, why do people forget?

Professor Paul Reber (Northwestern University) explains: the human brain cannot record everything because the processing speed of memory is slower than the flow of life. "Imagine memory as a camera that only records 10% of the content. We only save a small part of the many experiences we have every day."

Long-term storage goes through a process called memory consolidation, where information is gradually transformed into permanent memories. It is this process that is the real bottleneck, not the brain running out of space.

Professor Lila Davachi (Columbia University) believes that human memory evolved not for the purpose of accurate memorization, but for survival. Therefore, the brain only prioritizes storing valuable information that helps humans adapt to the living environment.

“We happen to be so good at remembering things that we retain them from college,” she says. “But it’s not really necessary for survival. It’s probably just a byproduct of evolution.”

The brain also uses a strategy of information compression. When we take the same route to work every day, it doesn’t store each trip separately, but aggregates it into a general pattern. Only when something unusual happens, like a traffic jam or a near-accident, does the brain store that experience separately.

Human memory is never "full", it just becomes more flexible.

Scientists agree that instead of filling up memories like a hard drive, the brain is always organizing, linking, and re-adjusting information to better adapt to the present and predict the future.

Thanks to this distributed and flexible way of working, people can learn throughout their lives without fear of "running out of memory".

So next time you forget where you put your coffee, don't worry. Your brain is probably prioritizing more important things, and that's okay.

MINH HAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nao-nguoi-co-bi-het-dung-luong-ghi-nho-khong-20250716193400223.htm