Lifestyle

What are the 25 things we forget the most?

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The average adult forgets three key facts, chores or events everyday, a study has found.

Around 15 million people will leave a cup of tea to go cold today and a similar amount will forget where they put the keys to their house or car.

12 million adults will go to the shops this morning only to completely forget what they went there for - and the same amount will forget about wet washing in the machine.

The worrying stats emerged in research carried out by National-Lottery.co.uk.

PIN numbers, passwords and chores, such as taking food out of the freezer the night before and charging your mobile phone, also featured highly on the list. And more than one in 10 admit forgetting to buy a lottery ticket which may have cost them a win.

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The study also found men are more likely to forget things than women - even though women generally have more to remember.

Modern hectic lifestyles, increased workloads and daily pressures as well as modern technology were blamed for the increase in our levels of forgetfulness.

A National Lottery spokesman said: ''Brits are busier than ever in their work and personal lives and it seems we just have too much to remember for our crowded minds. Computers, phones and organizers provide support and can ensure we do not forget the important pieces of information we need every day."

"Worryingly people may miss out if they fail to have their lucky numbers entered into the lottery draw. Using the web to play can ensure that never happens, although it won’t keep your cup of tea warm for hours on end."

The study found one in four people have missed an important appointment and nearly one in five have fallen out with a friend over a forgotten date or event.

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One in ten have also been in trouble with friends for forgetting either the name of their offspring or their birthday. And 6% have been dumped for forgetting a partner's birthday.

The poll of 2,000 adults nationwide also revealed six per cent have forgotten their partner’s birthday and a similar amount have forgotten their wedding anniversary.

Writing notes and sticking them around the house was the method most people used to ensure key dates or events weren't missed.

It also emerged that despite the number of things we forget, only one in four people actually admit they are forgetful.

Women fared much better than men in the report, failing to recall an average of two and a half things ever day compared to 3.5 things for men.

Top 25 most forgotten things