The Mandela Effect and False Memory

    The Mandela Effect and False Memory
    The Mandela Effect and False Memory

    Your palace of memories is a strange place with many mysteries. However, memories are not as consistent and reliable as you might think they are. In fact, we falsely state things that should be clear to us all the time. below in this article, we will cover The Mandela Effect and False Memory.

    The reason why we have trouble handling memories is because of suggestive exposure along with our bias perceptions. 

     In this article, you will read about the Mandela effect and a great deal about false memory. And by the end of it, you will be more aware of how memory impacts truth.

    The Mandela Effect

     The Mandela effect shows us how memory is not reliable. Follow the link for some cool resources about the Mandela effect. And what you find out might shock you at how much memory can distort from the truth.

     Here are some true and false statements. Try to catch the ones that are lies.

    first, Hannibal Lector never said “Hello, Clarice” in the Silence of the Lambs.

    And what was that favorite line that Darth Vader says? Was it “Luke, I am your father”? 

    Next, the evil queen in Snow hite never said, “Mirror on the wall.”

    Also, do you remember the Monopoly board game? Well, the mascot does not wear a monocle

    Finally, Curious George does not have a tail.

    How Many Did You Catch?

    Well, all of the statements are false. And if you are scratching your head or doubting it, then you are not alone. These facts surprise us, and they all contribute to an early idea called the Mandela effect.

    The Mandela effect comes from Nelson Mandela, a civil rights leader and the former president of South Africa. His fights against the oppression of Black people in an African country are legendary. Moreover, the man is a hero, and we all love and adore him for his true-hearted bravery.  

    He died recently, but there are thousands of people who falsely remember his death in the 80s or 90s. And this memory is as vivid as your memory of Hannibal Lector’s “Hello, Clarice.”

    Many people believe that the Mandela effect explains the possibility of alternate universes. And others push the Mandela effect in the category of conspiracy theories.

    Because of the Mandela effect, we have a lot of false information in your heads. And when the media suggestions lead to false memory, lots of people acquire false memory. It makes sense that everybody collectively knows the real line from Star Wars as, “Luke I am your father”.

    As you see, the Mandela effect is real and all around us. You should know that your memory is not that reliable. Also, our brains are awful at recollecting ovious details.

    Now that you know about the Mandela effect, you can go further into the fascinating world of false memory.

    False Memory and Misinformation Effect

    Misinformation Effect

    American psychologists did a study to study suggestibility. First, the scientists showed students a car crash. Next, they asked the students about the speed of the crash.

    They used words like smash, crash, collided, bumped, hit, and contacted to explain the event to the students. You see, two cars contacting does not sound as bad as two cars smashing into each other.

    The students who hear words like smash and crash recall a high-speed crash. Whereas, the students exposed to words like contact and bump recall a low-speed crash.

    Nine miles per hour can make or break a case at court. So you see, suggestibility can have a powerful impact on a trial. For this reason, the misinformation effect study is significant. 

    The misinformation effect states memories can change and become false. This is due to exposure from misleading questions, information, or new memories.

    7 Reasons For False Memories

    Let’s look at the seven sins of memory. Most of us do not commit these sins with ill intentions. The first three sins of memory are the sins of omission. They are absent-mindedness, transience, and blocking.

    Absent-Mindedness

    Have you ever gone into a room and forgotten why? This is simply a case of absent-mindedness. It’s caused by three things.

    • A. Not paying attention
    • B. Paying attention to something else
    • C. Distraction by other thoughts

    2. Blocking

    Next, you have blocked. It’s like something you cant say though you know it by heart. Your memory can block the ability to recall information. 

    3. Transience.

    When did you do a certain task? Was it four days ago or five days ago? Do you remember the time of doing it last year? Memories are less accessible as time goes on, and this affects eyewitness credibility and memory.

    The next four sins are the sins of commission. They involve a memory that does exist but might have false details added on. The sins are persistence, bias, misattribution, and suggestibility.

    4. Misattribution 

    Misattribution happens when you don’t recall the origin of a memory. You might think something you saw in the movie was on the news. Or something on a shirt was in the bible.

    5. Suggestibility

    Suggesting something about a personal memory will make someone come up with tainted memory. Furthermore, a suggestive question can bend the truth in court.

    For instance, if you ask a person, what time they saw a man walking down the street, you are suggesting that the person saw a man. Also, it suggests that the man was walking. And if there is no mention of these facts earlier, this could be a case of leading a witness.

    6. Bias

    Humans are meaning-manufacturers. We make meaning of new things based on prior knowledge. Sadly, our understanding establishes bias.

    Just the color of our skin creates biases about a person and the memory of him. Or some information you know about the person can make you biased. For instance, a friend who you owe money can appear threatening before a word is said.

    7.Persistence 

    There are memories that we would rather forget. Anyone who has trauma experience might have unwanted memories that never go away. 

    The opposite might happen too. Vast memories flood back out of nowhere. This is persistence. Memories keep coming back even though you are trying to get rid of them, and this may lead to PTSD and depression.

    Conclusion

    The American study changed words in sentences to see how suggestible students are. They are very suggestible.

    The Mandela effect is when we misremember something in our past. Usually, masses do it too.

    The seven sins of memory are persistence, transience, bias, absent-mindedness, blocking, suggestibility, bias, and misattribution.