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.
