I wonder if anyone has researched whether it's actually good to remember everyday things. I can watch a movie or read a novel, enjoy the experience, and the next day not really remember much about it. Often I'll get half-way through a movie and start to get a sense of deja-vu. Of course I've seen it before, but can get an hour in before I realize. I still enjoy it though.

Now, is this actually bad? I have no problem remembering what I actually need to remember to do novel research or to cope with the complexity of large programs. So it's not that I can't remember, but that I don't make any effort for things that don't matter. My feeling as I get old, is that it gets a little harder to learn new stuff because my head is already pretty full, but it's not too bad. But would it be worse if I actually remembered all those books and movies?