Study: Half of people "remember" events that never happene////Is This Mandela Effect?

Could this be the Mandela effect that is so popular these days? The story tells how memories can be suggested and 30% believe it and in fact add to the original story that was suggested.

Looks like there are a lot of people remember things that actually never happened.

Ever find yourself caught up in a vivid memory of an event that, you later realize with confusion, didn’t really happen the way you thought? According to new research by psychologists at the University of Warwick in the U.K., you are far from alone.

The study demonstrated that about half of individuals will come to believe a fictional event occurred if they are told about that event and then repeatedly imagine it happening.

More than 400 people participated in the study, led by professor Kimberley Wade

So the study implanted a harmless memory, and 30% of the people remember it happening. In order for the memory to fit the definition of a false memory, the people in the study had to move beyond the story they were told, adding things to the original story. One third remembered the story they were told, that never happened.

The study experimented with implanting fake (but relatively harmless) memories, such as taking a childhood hot-air balloon ride into the minds of study participants. Researchers told them about the imaginary events as if they were real, and about 30 percent of participants appeared to “remember” it happening, even elaborating on how it occurred and describing details of what it was like. Another 23 percent showed signs of accepting the story to some degree, the researchers said.

In order to fit the definition of a false memory, they looked for instances where participants went beyond the “facts” initially told to them. “As participants move from saying ‘I do not remember that’ to ‘Now I remember … ,’ they must report additional imagery or otherwise elaborate beyond the suggested material,” the authors wrote in the study, published in the journal Memory. “Thus, approximately one-third of participants showed evidence of a false memory, and more than half showed evidence of believing that the event occurred in the past.”

www.cbsnews.com...

a reply to: seasonal

No. That is suggesting something reasonable and some people will believe it. That is not the ME which has been discussed for years.

a reply to: reldra

The ME is reasonable, like Bernstein bears. IS the ME always terrible? I know the alternate universe is a contender for what ME is.

It's "the only evidence I have is my own memory" effect.

a reply to: eisegesis

Isn't that the same as ME?

originally posted by: eisegesis
It's "the only evidence I have is my own memory" effect.

Well Done eise......you have just coined a new term.....

"Memory Effect".....

Lets hope it actually replaces that stupid one...the Mandela Effect.

Its all about the Memory Effect.......now who said that ??????

a reply to: seasonal

It's quite true, but hardly groundbreaking.

I'm sure the vast majority of people have 'memories' of certain parts of films they've seen which, when they re-watch them, are quite different from what they remember. This constantly happens to me.

Memories of childhood are similarly flawed; most people remember their childhood as being a time of matchless tranquillity and joy. But most of us are mature and grounded enough to realise that this is mostly wishful thinking than genuine recall.

Belief in ME is probably a delusional state, encapsulated in the phrase, 'my memory is flawless'.