Operational Amnesia

A managerial condition characterized by the sudden and selective loss of memory—especially when recalling past decisions, commitments, or facts might result in accountability, inconvenience, or admitting fault. Often triggered by audits, performance reviews, or someone else remembering too much.

Symptoms of Operational Amnesia include phrases like “I don’t recall approving that”, “Was that in writing?”, and the classic “Let’s not dwell on the past.”

by RockitMan August 13, 2025

Confirmative amnesia

A disease where by the person you send money to does not call you back to confirm whether they received it

I helped Bayo with $200, but I have not heard from him since then because of his confirmative amnesia.

by The Malachi June 4, 2024

Text Amnesia

That “text” you forgot to send, realizing only when your wife asks to borrow your phone - to buy 30 seconds to clear your Safari history and double check the contents of your photo album.

“Wow I almost got caught last night. Jill asked to use my phone so I pretended I had text amnesia.”

by WillyCravemore June 24, 2018

Conversation Amnesia

Conversation amnesia - having the same conversation more than once because you can't remember bringing up the topic before.

I forgot that you had tattoos... Duh! Conversation Amnesia.

by Iceberg_Jim July 4, 2016

Smith-Sauer AI Amnesia Effect

A cognitive bias wherein individuals, after identifying clear errors or limitations in AI-generated content within their own area of expertise, nevertheless continue to place undue confidence in the same AI’s output on topics outside their expertise. This phenomenon reflects a selective skepticism: the observed unreliability of AI is compartmentalized rather than generalized, leading to inconsistent trust in the technology.

Jared, a software engineer, noticed that the AI couldn’t correctly format a for-loop in Python. Ten minutes later, he trusted it to draft a legally binding employment contract. Classic Smith-Sauer AI Amnesia Effect.

by Geoff Carr April 24, 2025

Gay amnesia

The enchanting phenomenon where two gay men cross paths, engage in potential amorous escapades, only to blissfully forget the encounter and relive the joyous introduction upon their next meeting, creating an eternal loop of delightful rediscovery.

I’ve met Michael before, but he doesn’t think so because he suffers from a case of gay amnesia.

by Xmadnessmadeforme January 11, 2024

movie amnesia

Forgetting movie situations and important things within a couple years of seeing the movie.

I wish I could remember that hilarious/crazy part of that movie I saw 3 years ago, but I suffer from movie amnesia.

by wordelder December 20, 2010