Today a conversation occurred between my husband and I that happens all too frequently.
Me: You bought cheez-its at the store today?
Husband: Yeah.
Me: You told me you didn't like cheez-its.
Husband: When did I say that?
Me: When I bought the last box of cheez-its that are still in the cabinet. I brought them home and you said you don't really like cheez-its so I've been the only one eating them.
Husband: Oh yeah, I guess I did say that.
WTF? This happens all the time. He will forget not only what he said, but apparently forgets what he likes and doesn't like. Just this week he also told me he doesn't really care for soda, so I didn't buy any more at the grocery store. The few cans that were left would be enough for me. I've seen my husband drinking soda every day this week. Now we are almost out and he didn't pick any more up at the store because he doesn't drink soda.
Do guys really have horrible memories or what? I did some research and found a website here that discusses this. Women apparently do have better memories when it comes to episodic memory. Women can remember things related to vocabulary, faces, smells - that sort of thing. So when a wife accuses her husband of forgetting things like their anniversary or what she told him, then the wife is probably right. It can be particularly frustrating for women however, as it seems to not bother men to forget these things. Whenever I confront my husband with discrepancies he just shrugs it off.
To be fair, there are things that men are better at remembering but these things seem to be along the lines of remembering how to take a piece of equipment apart or remembering directions. I'm sure men are just as annoyed when women have to follow mapquest or GPS directions in order to get somewhere. But, I'll take remembering words over remembering directions any day. I guess this would make women better as witnesses in court cases and also experts at holding grudges. If I can remember a hateful comment from ten years ago, I'm not likely to forgive you for it. Ah, the downside to having an excellent memory.
3 comments:
Is forgetting that he likes or dislikes a snack really all that important at the end of the day? I think to many couples argue or get upset with each other over such things.
No one takes the time to think about the stuff that their spouse remembers to do. All the stuff that takes place at their job or school that puts a roof over their head and turns the lights on.
Women remember different things than a man would. I don't remember half of the stuff that my wife did or talked about. And I guarantee you she didn't remember anything that I taught her about fishing or my job even. And those are things that are important to me, so it's not like I was teaching her about Call of Duty Modern Warfare.
It's a good story, and I hope the writing pays off for you and your forgetful husband.
I definitely see myself doing stuff like this almost daily; my wife will claim I said something, and I'll be positive she's making this up.
It's not that I'm lying about anything, it just slips my mind, and now I have your research to back me up :)
John - You're right, in the great scheme of things forgetting I bought Cheez-its already isn't a big deal. The annoying part of it is that it happens time after time to the point where I feel he doesn't listen to me at all. It makes it difficult for me to go grocery shopping too. But, I don't get truly mad over these things, just a little irked and I get over it.
Alex - Don't use me as an excuse to forget!
Post a Comment