We have all recalled memories of past events at some point in our lives. But sometimes,
the memories we possess of them seem to be far from the actual reality. For example,
most people remember the line “Luke, I am Your Father” from Star Wars: The Empire
Strikes Back, or the line “Life is like a box of chocolates” from the movie Forrest
Gump. However, these memories are far from the truth. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes
Back, Darth Vader actually says “No, I am your Father” and the line from the movie
Forrest Gump is actually “Life was like a box of chocolates”. Not only just lines
from movies, but entire historical events are often incorrectly recalled by many people
across the world. The best example of this is the death of the former South African President
Nelson Mandela who was believed to have passed away in prison sometimes during the 1980s.
Many people around the world firmly believe that Mandela in fact passed away in prison
and insist that they remember the news coverage of his death. But in reality, he passed away
in 2013 after serving 27 years in prison in 1990. So, what is going on here? How are so
many people recalling the exact same wrong memories? This shared false memory phenomenon
is now referred to as ‘The Mandela Effect’ named after the South African President Nelson
Mandela. So, let’s take a look at what the Mandela Effect really is. But before we begin,
make sure to subscribe to our channel for more content ahead!
The Mandela effect got its name when Fiona Broome, a self-described “paranormal consultant,”
described how she remembered the former South African President Nelson Mandela dying in
the 1980s in prison. She could even remember news coverage of his death and even a speech
from his widow about his death. But in reality, this never happened. Now, it would not have
been such a big deal if only one person remembered it wrong. But in Broome’s case, there were
thousands of other people who remembered the exact same details of Nelson Mandela’s death
as her. So, in 2010, this shared false memory phenomenon was dubbed "the Mandela effect"
by Fiona Broome. Ever since its conception, there have been
hundreds of cases of the Mandela Effect. Some of these include the American children’s
cartoon being spelled as Berenstain Bears instead of Berenstein Bears, and the famous
line from Snow White “Mirror Mirror on the wall” actually being “Magic Mirror on
the wall”. So, what exactly is going on here? How can so many people be having the
same false memories? Well, according to some, the Mandela Effect
could be the result of the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. They believe that if
there are an infinite number of universes alongside our own, then it may be possible
for these false memories to be correct in another universe. So, our memories are somehow
crossing over from other universes where these false memories are indeed correct. This sounds
like a wonderful idea, however, there are some problems with it.
Although it is very plausible that there may be an infinite number of universes that exit
due to quantum fluctuations, there is no evidence of energy or information leaking from one
universe to the other. In fact, the laws of physics absolutely forbid any contact between
these parallel realities. Laws of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics strictly state
that no energy or information can be created or destroyed within a closed system. Since
all of these parallel universes are closed systems, it is safe to assume that nothing
can leave nor enter them from an external source. Not only do these laws hold for parallel
universes, but also for multiverses that are a product of string theory. This means that
the shared false memories are most certainly not the result of consciousness or thoughts
being transferred from parallel realities. Another idea that is quite popular about the
Mandela effect is that we may be living in a simulation. Some believe that the false
memories we have are actually correct. But the glitch in the matrix caused it to be different
than what most people remember. Others believe that the programmer of the simulation may
have reprogrammed some events according to their own liking. However, there is a slight
problem here as well. If we were all living in a simulation, then that means that the
simulation would have absolute control over every action and thoughts that we can possibly
have. We ourselves would be simulations and there would be no way to know anything beyond
what a programmer decides to program in us. So, if by some chance a glitch actually occurred
in the matrix, the programmer could simply re-run the program from the point the glitch
happened and remove the glitch very easily. No one would or ever could know that a glitch
existed in the first place. So, unless the programmer intended to program the memories
of the Mandela Effect in all of us, we most certainly would not know about it.
Now if parallel realities and simulation theories were not enough, some believe that the Mandela
Effect could be the result of time travelers messing with details of the past which affects
the future we occupy. Others believe it might be the product of black magic. But none of
these theories are testable. So no one can really be sure of what really is the case.
But according to scientists, the Mandela Effect may be nothing more than a natural phenomenon.
When studying memory related functions of the brain, scientists found that memories
are organized in the brain such that similar memories are stored in nearby neurons. For
example, many people thought that the WWE Wrestler Rikishi had passed away from a heart
attack. However, it was not Rikishi that passed away, it was his cousin Umaga who was also
a WWE wrestler. But because they were so similar in appearance and their wrestling styles,
memories of them must have been stored in the same parts of the brain and must have
got jumbled up during recall. Another possible explanation is that our memories
are constructed from bits of information we interact with over time. So instead of playing
back a recording of a certain memory, our brain reconstructs past memories from storage.
This means similar unrelated memories can also get triggered in this process and cause
a big mix up. For example, many people claim to have had “JIFFY” peanut butter whereas
in reality it is actually “JIF”. Since another brand of peanut butter by the name
of “SKIPPY” was also available during this time, scientists believe that our brains
must be combining 2 different bits of information to come up with a false memory. Another example
of this would be the monocle on the monopoly guy. He actually never had one, but since
it was a famous piece of history in movies and TV, people must have combined the memory
of the monopoly guy and the monocle. Last, but not least, misinformation can also
cause such false realities. People tend to believe information that fits within their
narrative. So false and misleading claims on the internet can often have a powerful
impact on people’s opinions and the formation of certain memories. So, in short, human memory
is not very reliable and can oftentimes be manipulated by false narratives, suggestions,
and blatant misinformation. In fact, a study found that people actually believed rumors
and lies over the actual truth 70% of the time when misinformation and false narratives
are present. And that brings us to the end of this video.
What do you think of the Mandela Effect? Do you think someone is covering up the truth?
What other examples of the Mandela Effect can you think of? Let us know in the comment
section down below! Also, do not forget to like, share, and subscribe to our channel
if you enjoy videos like these! Until then, we will see you in the next one!