At times, apparently mundane memories are really easy to recall, and moments you think ‘I want to remember this in detail, even gonna do an eye-camera pan of the scene’ don’t come back that easy. Why?
In: Biology
Because they’re not actually mundane, they’re profound.
They just seem to be mundane because they’re linked to deep parts of our mind that we aren’t entirely concious of.
For example:
My tax return is very important. Yet I cant remember what it looks like, where I left it and what code I’m supposed to write on it.
My friends teddy bear is not important, yet I can remember its name, the texture of its fur, its colouring, the expression on its face, whats written on its little shirt, even what it smells like and roughly how much it weighs when you pick it up. All in vivid detail.
What’s going on here?
As far as my brain is concerned the tax return is just a piece of paper. The function it serves is a means to an end.
The teddy bear is something way more profound, It has a personal name, a face, it’s the size and shape of a human baby.
So immediately all these qualities start lighting up a deep part of my brain, connections start being made, hormones released, my brain automatically projects a personality on to it. As far as the primitive part of my brain is concerned it *is* a real life human baby, even though my rational mind knows it’s just a ball of wool and stuffing.
The teddy bear is linked to human identity, culture, emotion….
The tax return is….well, a tax return.
Which one is more likely to imprint a memory?
Latest Answers