Why Our Memories Are So Bad
All of us misperceive, misremember, and even make up recollections, research reveals
Without realizing it, human beings misperceive, misremember, and make up memories. These mental flubs, which can contribute to ideological polarization among friends and family, also explain how people offer up such rich detail in congressional or court testimony about an event that occurred weeks, months, or even years ago or how your favorite older relative vividly recalls childhood events. All such distant memories offer only the gist of what really happened at best, and at worst, they’re downright wrong.
“We don’t get any memory 100% right,” says Marianne Reddan, PhD, a researcher in psychology and neuroscience at Stanford University. “That’s actually a feature, not a bug.”
When a memory is recalled, it’s a bit like opening a computer file for editing. While neurons storing a particular memory are firing, the memory can be reinforced and solidified—or reimagined into something that doesn’t reflect reality.
“This is a beautiful thing,” Reddan told me. “If you learned dogs were dangerous because one bit you as a kid, you can, through this process of memory reconsolidation, ‘unlearn’ your fear of dogs and begin to develop happy relationships with adorable pups.”
