Re: more loss of memory over time, I can testify that at my advanced age (omg, I'm middle-aged.. when did this happen?), I remember fewer things than I could when I was 10 and 20 years younger, and while I too wonder if various outside factors have impacted my recall (and don't doubt it), it would be hard to sort that out from the simple fact of memory loss happening due to getting older, due to thinking of those things less often, and due to there being ever more memories over time for the brain to manage. I find it helps to hang out with old friends who are happy to remind us of embarrassing events from our youth that we tried to forget