Bengaluru is India’s most forgetful city

Doctors attribute the absent-mindedness to stress, mental illness, phone addiction and lack of sleep

Bengalureans are more forgetful than people in other cities, according to a study.

Conducted by cab aggregator Uber, the study has placed Bengaluru as India’s most absent-minded city for the third time in a row.

The third edition of the company’s Lost and Found Index reveals that Bengalureans have left behind the most number of items in cabs over the past year.

If a majority in our city are dozing off in cabs and becoming forgetful, the root cause has to be stress and lifestyle choices, say experts.

Interestingly, the most number of items were left behind between 1 and 3 pm, in the hours after lunch.

Dr Raghu Krishnamurthy, consultant psychiatrist, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, lists multiple reasons for the forgetfulness.

Traffic woes add to stress
Firstly, people in Bengaluru have to travel longer if not further than their counterparts in other metros. The poor infrastructure and traffic gridlocks cause people to spend four to five hours on the road every day, and that is in addition to the nine hours they put in at work. People are more stressed for the same amount of work their counterparts do in other cities.

Multi-tasking makes you forgetful
It is common for people in Bengaluru to multi-task. If they are attempting to do five things at a time, they may do three successfully and forget or neglect the other two. The more you juggle tasks, the more you forget things.

More time on phone means less sleep
It has become common for people to be on their phones late into the night. A 26-year-old patient spends the whole night on his phone playing PuBG. I have seen relationships ending because of one partner’s addiction to the phone. Apart from video games like PuBG, Facebook and Instagram and chatting and dating sites are addictive, especially for young adults. Since they spend their nights on such sites, they try to compensate for their sleep in all other places possible, including cabs. It can be argued that they can play these games in the cab too. However, that is unlikely to give them a good gaming experience. Also, several games, including PuBG, are multi-user games where you can collaborate with people from different cities, including those abroad. That means you adjust your timings accordingly.

Mental disorders lead to lethargy
About 20 per cent of people in Bengaluru suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, panic attacks, psychosis, bipolar disorder and more. Then you have another 15-20 per cent that is stressed out. Many can’t sleep at night. Driving is next to impossible and they hire cabs. And since their mind is not functioning optimally, they suffer from forgetfulness or lack of concentration.

Recover your lost items
Many times, when you realise you have left behind something in the cab and try to call the driver, he doesn’t pick up. We asked Uber what a passenger could do in such a situation and here is what they said:
“Uber’s Lost and Found index also educates riders about in-app options in case they lose something during their trip. The riders can trace their misplaced objects by selecting that trip and clicking on the ‘I lost an item’ option in the Uber app. If the driver picks up and confirms that the item has been found, both the rider and driver can coordinate a mutually convenient time and place to meet for its return. In case the rider is unable to connect with the driver, riders can use ‘in-app support’ to report the loss and the Uber Support Team will step in to help with the process.’’

What Uber found: fish, bananas, ukulele
Items left behind include live fish, milk sachets, prams, a ukulele, bunches of banana, an aluminium storage shelf, yoga mats, knee pads, saris, hotspot devices, toy cars, footwear, glasses, cell phone chargers, and water bottles.

Phones, cameras, and bags top the list, followed by utility items like wallets, keys, clothing, and umbrellas.