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My theory behind this is that when you encounter something new/novel it is distinct enough to remember -- where you were when you learned of 9/11; the days arou
by rhdunn 14d ago
My theory behind this is that when you encounter something new/novel it is distinct enough to remember -- where you were when you learned of 9/11; the days around the start of covid/lockdowns; being in a car accident; getting married; etc..
However, when you experience the same thing repetitively -- having breakfast; getting ready for school/work/etc. -- it doesn't make sense for your brain to remember each of these events as distinct events but to mush them together into a single or combined memory. This may be due to how the brain indexes/references memories and that memories with the same references get combined together.
This is also partly why time appears to go faster when you get older -- the same day-to-day events blend together but the key milestones (holidays, etc.) stick out.
- Kinrany 14d agoWe do know that memories get rewritten every time they are remembered
- xpct 14d agoBy 'rewritten' do you mean refreshed, like learning material with spaced repetition, or some different/deeper concept? Do we 'move' that information to a different cluster of neurons?
- Kinrany 11d agoI don't know the mechanics! Just the observation that memories recalled many times tend to change more. It kind of makes sense in that we do not retain the raw information, it's always interpreted, and it needs to be updated to be in line with other things we know.