The Memory You Never Made: How Your Brain Creates False Memories
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Ever get that feeling like, you know, memories playing tricks on you? Yeah. Where you're sure something happened, but then you find out it was all in your head? Yeah. It's more common than you think. Really? Oh, yeah. We're going deep on that today. Okay. It's called false memories. False memories. Yeah. And it's basically how our brains can make up events, things that never really happened. So it's more than just forgetting where I put my keys. Yeah. Like full on remembering something that didn't happen. Exactly. Yeah.

We'll be looking at a few things, um,

like how these false memories form and why they're so common, like even in people with really good memories. And then also the implications of it. You know, it can range from those everyday little mishaps to, you know, really serious legal problems. Oh, wow. OK. So to do this, we've got a few things to look at. We've got excerpts from a very well-mined article, and that goes into how these memories kind of develop. We've got this fascinating MIT study about

planting false memories in mice. In mice. Yeah. Interesting. And then we've got an interview with a criminal psychologist. He specializes in memory. And that's from BBC Science Focus magazine. OK. That's a good spread of sources. Yeah. By the end of this, you should have a whole new way of looking at your own memory. Sounds good. Let's start with the basics. OK. Like what exactly is a false memory?

So it's more than just like forgetting things or mixing up details. It's a vivid, detailed memory of something that just straight up never happened. So it's like being positive. You lock the door, but you didn't or remembering an entire conversation that never took place. OK. And and here's the thing.

They feel just as real as true memories. Right. That makes sense why they'd be so convincing. Yeah. Yeah. Is there any research that shows like how easily these false memories can be created? Oh, tons. There's this groundbreaking work by Elizabeth Loftus. OK. And she showed that even like little suggestions can lead people to create false memories. OK. So there's this classic study. People watched a video of a car accident. Right. Afterwards, the people they were asked about the cars.

Okay. They were way more likely to falsely remember broken glass than those who were asked about cars hitting. So just changing a word influenced their whole memory. Yeah. That's unsettling. Yeah, it really highlights how like

malleable our memories are. It's not really about trying to lie to ourselves or anything. It's often like our brains just trying to make sense of things. Okay. Filling in gaps and connecting dots. Even when those dots don't really you know line up

perfectly with reality. So like our brains are kind of constantly editing our memories. Exactly. Even without us knowing. Precisely. Okay. Wow. And the longer it's been since an event and then you try to remember it, the more likely we are to have those distortions. Okay. It's almost as if our memories fade, like old photographs, you know? Right. Less sharp, a little more susceptible to being like touched up or altered. So time is not our memory's best friend. Right. No.

Not necessarily. Are there other factors? I would think so. Yeah. Yeah. Like what else is affecting our memories? Think about how your existing knowledge and past experiences kind of color how you see new events, right? It's the same idea with memory. Like our brains weave new memories into the existing knowledge. Okay. And sometimes that leads to inaccuracies as we try to, you know, make it all fit together. So we're not just passively recording experiences. Our memories are shaped by everything we already know and believe. Exactly. Exactly.

That's interesting. I like that analogy a lot. And this isn't just a human thing either. Really? Oh, yeah. Scientists at MIT actually planted false memories in mice. Wait, what? They gave mice false memories? Yeah. How is that even possible? So they used a technique. It's called optogenetics. Okay. Basically, it uses light to control specific brain cells. Okay.

And they basically manipulated specific memories in the mice, making them afraid of a place where they were never actually home. So they created a fear response based on a memory that didn't exist. Yeah. What does that tell us about memory? Well, the study found that the neurological traces of these false memories were very similar to genuine memories. Because even on a neural level, it's hard to tell the difference. Yeah, it's tough to tell the difference between a real and a fabricated memory. Wow, that's crazy.

Wow. So this isn't just a psychological thing. Right. It's happening in the physical structure of the brain. It makes you wonder how often this happens in our lives. More than you think. It happens even in people with supposedly perfect memories. Really? Mm-hmm. There's research on people with something called HSM, highly superior autobiographical memory. What is that? Basically, they can remember events from their lives in really crazy detail. Hmm.

But they still form false memories just as often as everyone else. Hold on. So people who can remember almost everything still have false memories. Yeah. That kind of blows the idea of a perfect memory out of the water. Right. It really challenges what we thought we knew. It seems like maybe this is just a fundamental part of how our brains work. Okay. And not just like a flaw or, you know, something quirky. This whole concept is kind of blowing my mind. Yeah. It is a lot to take in. So even with like...

a super powered memory, I could still be walking around with false memories. It's definitely possible. It makes you really appreciate how complex the brain is. Definitely. And how much we still have to learn about it. This is making me want to be more mindful of like how I form my memories and how I remember them. Yeah, that's a great first step. Okay, good.

Before we get into ways to improve memory accuracy, we should probably look at some real world examples of how these false memories can pop up. All right. What kind of examples are we talking about? Well, have you ever heard of the Mandela effect? I feel like I've heard of it. Yeah. Isn't that where a bunch of people have the same false memory, like everyone remembering something wrong together? Exactly. It's where large groups of people all misremember the same thing.

Whether it's like a movie quote or a historical event or even like how a brand name is spelled. Okay. For instance, tons of people vividly remember the Monopoly man wearing a monocle, but he never did. Oh, yeah. I remember thinking that too. Right. That's crazy. It's like our collective memory is just as messed up as our individual ones. Yeah. It's a really interesting observation. Yeah. And it's not just like silly little details either. Okay. Yeah.

False memories can have some serious consequences, especially in legal cases. Oh, right. Yeah. Like eyewitness testimony. Exactly. It's a huge part of many trials. But...

If that testimony is based on a false memory, it can lead to people being wrongly convicted. That's a scary thought. It is. Imagine someone's freedom depending on a memory that's been distorted or influenced. Oh, man. That's a lot of pressure for memory. It really is a big challenge. And more and more people are realizing we need to be more careful in the legal system to account for how memory can be flawed. So this isn't just some little brain glitch. Right. False memories can have huge consequences.

They can. But before we say that all false memories are bad, there's another angle to think about. A positive spin on false memories.

I'm intrigued. So this criminal psychologist, Dr. Julia Shaw, she suggests that maybe these false memories are actually a sign of how creative and flexible our brains are. Really? How can something that's not accurate be seen as a positive? So Dr. Shaw's argument is that instead of looking at false memories,

as errors. We could look at them as our brains way of taking real bits of information and creatively combining them in new ways. So our brains are like remixing our experiences, even if it means making stuff up. Right. That's a fascinating way to look at it. Yeah, it really does change the whole conversation. Yeah. Dr. Shaw even asks,

What if getting rid of false memories actually made us less creative? That's a really good point. Yeah. Maybe our memories, you know, flaws and all are part of what makes us human. Yeah, absolutely. The more we learn about memory, the more we realize how complex and just...

interesting it really is. This deep dive has definitely made me question everything I thought I knew about memory. That's good. Are there things we can do to, you know, to improve our memory and maybe make these false memories less likely? Absolutely. Let's talk about those next. So you want to be like a memory master, minimizing those false memories. Maybe not a master, but I definitely like to make my real memory stronger. Like what can I actually do? Well, Dr. Shaw has some good tips first.

Be mindful. Okay. Pay attention to details, especially for things you want to remember. So like really being in the moment. Exactly. Engage all your senses. Like what are you seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling? The more vivid the experience, the stronger the memory is going to be. Okay. That makes sense. Like taking a high definition mental picture. Yeah. I like that. And also,

You know, don't dismiss good old fashioned note taking, whether it's journaling or just jotting things down. It's like having an external hard drive for your brain. Note taking has always been good for me. What about photos and videos? Oh, that's a good point. Yeah. Visuals can be really powerful for triggering memories later on. And remember that storytelling idea we were talking about?

Describing something out loud, like telling a story that can really help solidify the memory. So instead of just replaying it in my head, I should like actively narrate it. Exactly. It takes it from just a thought to a full blown narrative. And the more you rehearse that story, the more ingrained it becomes. Okay. That makes sense.

Those are great tips. Simple stuff can make a big difference. It really is about being intentional with our memories. Yeah. I think we take them for granted, but they really are what make us who we are and how we understand the world. They're the building blocks of our identity. Right. Which brings us back to Dr. Sa's question.

If our memories are so easily influenced, what does that mean for who we are? Yeah, it's a pretty deep question. Like, if I can't fully trust my own memories, then how can I be sure of anything about myself? Right. It gets almost existential. It kind of does. Maybe it's not about having perfect recall. Maybe it's about understanding that

our memories, even with their flaws, are part of what makes us human. Yeah. It's a compelling thought. It is. Every time we remember something, it's not just like opening a file. It's like we're reconstructing and reinterpreting the past. Exactly. And each reconstruction, accurate or not, it's like adding to our life story. Right. Yeah. It's an interesting way to think about it. It really is. This whole conversation has been eye-opening.

It's making me see my memories in a whole new way. I'm glad. Yeah. That's the fun part of exploring these topics. It is. It challenges what we thought we knew and makes us see things differently. So where do we go from here? Well, so far we've been talking about individual memories. Okay. But what about shared memories? Like our collective understanding of the past. Oh, okay. Like history, how it's written, and passed down. Exactly. Are those stories always accurate?

Or are they affected by the same biases and distortions as our personal memories? Yeah.

It makes you wonder how much we can trust the stories we tell about the past. Right. And like we've been learning, even our clearest memories can be fluid and open to interpretation. So we need to be careful about false memories individually and like collectively when we think about history. Absolutely. The past isn't fixed. It's an evolving story shaped by those who write it down and those who remember it. Okay.

That's a lot to think about. It is. Are there specific examples of how this plays out in history? Oh, there are tons. Take Helen Keller, for example. Okay. Lots of people have these strong memories of learning about her, overcoming deafness and blindness. Oh, yeah. I remember reading The Miracle Worker in school. Powerful story. Yeah. Yeah. But more and more people are realizing that the traditional story about her might not be entirely accurate. Really? Yeah.

In what way? Well, there's evidence that her political views, especially her socialist beliefs, they were often kind of downplayed or even just left out of the popular accounts of her life. So the image that a lot of us grew up with. Yeah. It might be incomplete. Yeah. Or maybe even distorted. It makes you wonder how historical figures are presented and how that shapes how we understand them. Yeah.

It's like peeling back the layers of history. Yeah. And finding like hidden complexities and different perspectives. Exactly. That's what critical thinking is all about. Right. And historical inquiry, looking at the narratives with a careful eye, noticing biases, looking for different viewpoints. So even with history, we need to think about memory the same way we've been talking about. Absolutely. The past is not set in stone. Okay. It's always being reshaped.

This is a lot to take in. It is. Good. It's important to approach history and all knowledge, really, with a healthy amount of skepticism and to question assumptions. I'm up for that challenge. But before we get too deep into history, I'm thinking about collective memory in another way, like everyday things and cultural stuff. Ah, the Mandela effect again, but on a bigger scale. Right. Like...

Our memories of pop culture have glitches. There are so many examples of this. Remember that line from Field of Dreams? If you build it, they will come. Yeah, of course. Classic line. Yeah. Well, except that's not the actual line. Wait, what? The real line is, if you build it, he will come. No way. I would have bet money it was they. I know. It's weird, right? You're not alone. Tons of people have that same false memory. So it's like the Mandela effect in action.

It is. It's like our brains are playing tricks on us. Yeah. But on a massive scale. Right. It really makes you wonder where these shared false memories come from and how they spread. Yeah. Like what are the theories about that? Well, there's no definitive answer. OK. But there are some cool possibilities. One idea is something called source monitoring errors.

What are those? So basically, sometimes our brains have trouble remembering where we got information from. So we might remember something, but we get mixed up about where we heard it or saw it. Like I might confuse something I read online with something I saw in a movie. Exactly. And over time, those little mix-ups can create these false memories that feel completely real. Okay, that makes sense. But what about when like...

Like, tons of people share the same false memory. It can't all be source monitoring errors, right? That's a good point. Yeah. That's where things get a little more out there. Don't tell me you're going to say parallel universes. Uh-huh. Not quite. Okay.

But some people think the Mandela effect could be evidence of alternate realities or glitches in the space-time continuum. Okay, that's a little too sci-fi for me. Yeah, it's definitely out there. The idea is we're getting glimpses of other realities where those details were different. Like we're accidentally tuning into a different channel of reality. Something like that. But there's really no scientific proof.

proof to back that up. Okay, good. I like my explanations a little more down to earth. Fair enough. So probably more likely our brains are just getting things mixed up. Yeah, probably. But it's fun to think about the other possibilities. It is. This has been a wild conversation. It has. It's been great exploring this with you. Same here. And I have a feeling this is only the beginning of our memory adventures. I think you might be right.

The more we learn, the more we realize how much we don't know. That's what makes it so interesting. It's a journey of discovery. So this has been a pretty fascinating conversation about memory. It really has. Before we wrap up our deep dive into false memories, is there anything else we should cover? Anything else about this that we should be thinking about? Yeah, there is one last thing to consider.

We've talked about how our individual and collective memories can be distorted. Right. But what about the impact of technology on memory? That's a good point. I mean, we're constantly bombarded with

information, social media, news feeds, notifications. It's hard to keep up. It is. And there's research that suggests that this constant influx of information, it might actually be affecting our ability to form lasting memories. So instead of really like absorbing information, we're just skimming the surface. Yeah, it's possible we might be trading depth for breadth, you know, becoming good at remembering things quickly, but not actually retaining information long term. The

Like our brains are becoming external hard drives, you know, relying on Google to remember things for us. In a way, yeah. Huh. What does that mean for the future of memory? Well, that's a big question. Are we going to become so reliant on technology that our own memory just kind of fades away? It's something to think about.

But on the other hand, technology could also improve our memory in ones we can't even imagine yet. Oh, interesting. So it's not all bad news. Not at all. Okay. Imagine things like brain-computer interfaces that could help us access and retrieve information more efficiently. Okay. Or even, you know, boost our memory capacity. That sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie. It

It does, right. But that line between science fiction and reality, it's getting blurrier all the time. This is all very thought-provoking. It is. Makes you think about what memory will even mean in the future when tech is so intertwined with our lives. Exactly. And that's the exciting part. We're living in this time of...

incredible technological advancement. Right. And we get to decide how it shapes our minds and our memories. Well, I think that's a great place to wrap up our deep dive into false memories. It's been a great conversation. It has. I feel like I'm leaving with a much better understanding of like the complexities and the weirdness of human memory. Good. It's a topic worth thinking about and exploring. I agree.

So to our listeners, thanks for joining us on this deep dive into the world of false memories. And remember, next time you question a memory, don't just write it off as a mistake. It might just be your brain being creative and imaginative and reinterpreting the world. That's a good way to look at it. Until next time, keep those memories flowing. And don't be afraid to question the stories, your own and the ones we share that shape how you see the past.