A false memory is a reconstruction of a true event that is false or distorted. It may be completely fictitious. However, it is possible that some of the facts in those documents have been distorted by interfering information or other memory distortions.
If you think you got the washing machine started before leaving for work, and then come home and realize you did not, you have a false memory.
For example, you may believe that you were grounded for the first time for not washing dishes when you were 12, but your mom explains that it was because of your disrespect toward her.
It is important to remember that most false memories aren’t intentional or malicious. It is a shift of memory or reconstruction of events that do not match reality.
It is also important to note that some false memories can lead to significant consequences, including in a courtroom or legal setting where someone might be wrongly convicted.
It is not unusual for people to think of memory as being like a video recorder, capturing everything that happens exactly and with clarity. However, memories are very fallible. The confidence people have in their memories is no guarantee that that memory is accurate, however.
We will now discuss false memories, how they are formed, how they can affect you and others, as well as how to correct them.
Read: Short-Term Memory Loss
How are false memories created?
Memory is a complex concept. Memory is not simply a black or white thing, as people usually imagine; it is subject to change, malleable, and often unreliable.
During sleep, temporary memories are transferred to permanent memory. However, this process isn’t complete. Some memories may be lost. It is at this point that false memories can arise.
False memory implantation
There are many ways to create false memories. Every one of these affects what happens to memories or how they are stored.
False memories may be hard to diagnose, but knowing the causes can allow you to understand why they are so prevalent.
Suggestion
The inference is an incredibly powerful tool. When someone else prompts or asks questions, you may create false memories.
People often ask if banks robbers wear red masks. When you reply that they do, you quickly correct yourselves by saying they wear black masks. It wasn’t true that the robber wore a mask, but the suggestion that they were planted false memory.
Read: Mixed Dementia
Misinformation
It is possible to become convinced that an event took place after being given inaccurate or false information. This can be done by creating new memories and combining them with actual ones.
Inaccurate perception
The brain stores information you give it. When you provide it with incorrect information, it will store that information incorrectly. If there are any gaps in the story, they may be filled in by your own memories.
Misattribution
There is a chance that several events are merged into one in your memory.
The memory is actually a collection of events. Your memory is now fragmented and jumbled by the assortment of events that formed the singular memory you now recall.
Emotions
It is likely that a moment’s emotions will play a significant role in how memories are stored. The results of a recent study suggest that negative emotions make us remember things we shouldn’t.
Read: Vascular Dementia
What is false memory syndrome?
There is controversy surrounding therapeutic memory recovery. People have used psychotherapy techniques like hypnosis to uncover suppressed memories. Childhood sexual abuse is often a traumatic memory.
People’s behavior today may be influenced by these memories. They may influence their identity and relationships. In psychology, this is known as false memory syndrome or creating a reality around a false memory.
No technique can determine whether the memories are true or false, and science does not yet have a method to prove whether the memories are valid or false. Recovery of memories remains an open question for now.
What Causes False Memory?
What are the reasons behind false memories? False memories are caused by misinformation and incorrect attribution of the original source of the information. New memory can be interfered with by existing knowledge and other memories, causing it to be misconstrued or entirely inaccurate.
Read: Frontotemporal Dementia
Who has a higher probability of having false memories?
There is no such thing as permanent memory. Memory is pliable and frequently alters over time. It is possible to form false memories due to certain people or events. These may include:
Eye witnessing
A witness’ testimony is important – but not conclusive in the case of a crime or accident. It’s because experts and law enforcement officials understand how memories can change if they are influenced or time passes.
If your memory fills in any gaps, a reliable recall may become flawed.
Trauma
Research suggests that people who are traumatized, depressed, or stressed may have false memories. There are more false memories associated with negative events than with positive ones.
OCD
People suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may suffer from memory loss or low confidence in their memory.
The fact that they don’t trust their memories may make them more likely to fabricate false memories. These qualities often lead to compulsive or repetitive behaviors that are characteristic of this disorder.
Aging
It’s possible that, as you age and as your memory ages, details of that memory will disappear. During a memory, the essence will remain while the details will fade.
It may have happened that you visited a beach on your honeymoon, but you can’t recall what the hotel was called, how the weather was, or even the city you stayed in.
Read: Lewy Body Dementia
False memories and their potential impact
Many people don’t realize just how common false memories are (after all, who hasn’t forgotten an important fact? ), despite knowing about the fallibility of memory. We are remarkably susceptible to suggestions, which can cause us to remember things and events which never happened.
This kind of false memory is relatively common, such as believing you put the keys up in the kitchen, when in fact you left them in the car.
However, false memories can also have dire consequences. False memories are one of the major causes of false convictions, often by recollections made by the suspect or by false identification during police interviews.
How can you handle false memories?
Independent evidence corroborating or disproving false memories is the only way to resolve false memories.
False memories are often strongly emotional and very real at first. They’ll feel more tangible if you believe in them, but that confidence doesn’t result in authenticity.
The occurrence of false memories, too, does not indicate you have poor memory or that you are developing a memory disorder such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Being human and not having an impenetrable brain makes it possible to have false memories, for better or worse.
Read: Capgras Syndrome
To summarize
False memories are not uncommon. We all experience them occasionally. There are both small and significant points, such as where you swear you hid your keys last night, as well as big ones, like what you saw during an accident.
People can experience false memories at any time. However, some people may be more susceptible to them than others. Fortunately, most false memories are harmless, and they might even lead to some laughter when you disagree with someone else’s memories of the incident.
