Why does the brain mostly remember tragic, bad or embarassing memories instead of the happy ones

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Why does the brain mostly remember tragic, bad or embarassing memories instead of the happy ones

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Anonymous 0 Comments

I think it’s because our body responds physically to stressful stuff which triggers the amygdala, so heightened perceptions revolving around fear or anxiety means a stronger memory.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Doing a good job at remembering bad/scary/dangerous/negative stuff is going to keep you alive more than remembering nice things. Rinse and repeat through millions of years of evolution.

PTSD is the result of your brain labeling something “absolutely fucking never again AVOID AT ALL COST”.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Mine doesn’t do that…I forget bad things.

…was talking to a buddy I hadn’t seen in 20 years the other night, and it underscored it…he brought up several things that happened to me back when we hung out that were negative and sometimes downright awful. I was like: “Remember that one cat tho?”

Happened last year with another old friend. I think I would be a really angry person if I remembered all the bad shit that has happened…but it’s just not there.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Depends who you are I suppose. I tend to ignore/forget tragic ones and focus on the good times of my life.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Because happy memories are useless to your survival.

You remember that time you touched the stove because it was a lesson your brain wants you to remember: Don’t be an idiot.

The baseline your brain wants is for you to be content. Emotional net-neutrality. You can find happiness later, just be glad you aren’t dangling off a cliff missing a leg because of your bad decisions

It also tends to be the case that “bad” things are typically a lot easier to remember. “Bad” in a lot of cases just means “unexpected”. It’s a lot easier to remember things that were surprising/impactful.

You aren’t surprised when you go hiking for the 30th time, and nothing new happens. If anything, many might find it boring at that point. But, a surprise life or death experience with a rattle snake is definitely gonna make that 30th a day to remember. It stands out.

Anonymous 0 Comments

That’s weird because most of my memories are happy ones. But then again I’m not particularly enjoying life anymore (I’m not suicidal btw) so maybe it’s my mind looking for balance

Anonymous 0 Comments

While both experiences are temporary, pain leads to death, pleasure doesn’t.

Resource allocation.

Pain is a more valuable memory to staying alive than pleasure.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Because that is the stuff it needed to remember to stay alive. Really bad stuff (including loss of social support like in embarrassment) could have been a death sentence for us further down our evolutionary tree.

You remember the stuff that can kill you so you are VERY motivated to avoid it.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Its a self defense mechanism, for the brain to learn from past mistakes and not repeat them.

Anonymous 0 Comments

More of a 5yo answer:

If something good happens, great, there’s nothing to improve on you enjoy it and move on.

If something bad happens, your mind tries to figure out “how could I have changed the outcome?, How could it have gone better/different?, etc”. It’s harder to move on, cause it’s almost like it’s forever unfinished.