How do our memories change the very fabric of reality? Our memories, when drawn upon, show us our experiences in the past that we can remember. We feel, without the shadow of a doubt, that these memories happened exactly the way we remembered, if we remember them vividly. Scientists at Northwestern University claim that we may be wrong about how we think that our memories work. They propose that the part of our brain responsible for memory, the hippocampus, actually rewrites the past.
The Brain (Source: Google Images)
What do our memories really comprise of? For the most part our brains remember images, particular events, how we were feeling at the time quite well, however, time of day and the weather at the time are less easy to recall, or so we think.
Editing (Source: Google Images)
When we draw upon a memory we feel like we are watching a video reel of the past, as though our brain is merely a video recorder documenting our journey through time. But in reality the hippocampus of the brain is more like a film editor and special effects team. Yes your brain often edits that trip down memory lane. The hippocampus edits the way we remember details, from memories as far back as our childhood or even short-term memories created just a few minutes ago, every time they are remembered, If you recall it you remake it. This is somewhat disconcerting… Our most cherished memories, that we hold on to and think about very often are least likely to be what actually happened. Wait, why does the brain do this to us? The answer to that question is, the brain doesn’t just change our memories at random, it actually edits the past based on present experiences. Try looking back on a bad break-up when you’re in a good mood vs when you’re in a bad mood. If you are in a bad mood you will remember that it was her fault, whereas, in a good mood you may accept that it was your fault. What does this mean? From an evolutionary perspective, our brains are made to give us everything we need to survive in the present, therefore tailoring our memories based on present specifications.
Aside from our personal strife over this subject, memory alteration have a profound impact on our justice system. Several court cases rely on the memory of eyewitnesses to rule guilty or otherwise. A jury is more likely to side with a victim who was present at a crime even though they incorrectly remember the details of the time in question. In the past memory was a given, if you saw it, it happened. Now we need more scientific intervention into our justice systems to make certain real justice is served.
Elizabeth Loftus talks about reconstructive memory:
Scott Fraser talks about our faulty justice system from first hand experience:
~ Adil Cader.
