Why are memories unreliable?

“I think memory is the most important asset of human beings. It is a kind of fuel; it burns and it warms you. My memory is like a chest: there are so many drawers in this chest, and when I want to be a fifteen- year old boy, I open up a certain drawer and I find the scenery I saw when I was a boy in Kobe. I can smell the air, and I can touch the ground, and I can see the green of the trees. That’s why I want to write a book”

-Haruki Murakami

Revisiting our roots during these times of uncertainty is an anchor our mind is holding on to. Getting connected to people we know, after a long time, has filled us up with nostalgia. I’m not an exception. Rekindling the past with my friends had me finding anecdotes I don’t remember, leaving me with many questions. Why don’t I recall the same experience in such detail despite being an equal part of it? Why is our memory so different, though we experienced the same thing?

There are moments that seem to be very important in one’s life. These are the moments that are etched in memories. It may be one’s first day at school, the time you met a special person or, getting stuck in a dark tunnel. A study states that the details of a particular memory fade over time by about 50% and the rest of whatever you think of it as a ‘memory’ is fictionalized.

Our brain stores memories in an incredible way. The study of the human brain has unlocked many mysteries of how the brain handles our memories. Henry Molaison, an American man, underwent brain surgery to treat epilepsy. The surgeons removed a part of the brain. Though this surgery didn’t result in any behavioral change, Henry suffered a memory loss. The result was so severe that he found it difficult to navigate through his own house and even failed to recognize his doctors. Henry was able to recollect historical events but struggled with his daily activities

Neuroscience explains this. Memories are of two kinds: implicit and explicit. Implicit memories are memories that one remembers subconsciously and effortlessly. These are developed by repetition like the acts of walking and talking. Explicit memories are memories of facts and events that need to be consciously recalled. Remembering one’s classmates, trips, historical events are explicit memories. They are subdivided into semantic and episodic memory. Semantic memory is the memory of facts, events, and numbers, while episodic memory is that of one’s personal experiences.

When an action is performed, sensory information is passed to the brain. When you dance, the music, your movements, and the faces of your audience are recorded in your brain. All these elements are put together by the mid temporal lobe which includes an important structure called the hippocampus. This is the part that was removed from Henry’s brain. The temporal lobe helps you to relive your past by stitching together all these elements.

Commonly, we remember impactful incidents. This is because the dynamics of the memory-making process is closely associated with emotions. The more intense the emotions, the stronger the memory. The place of the incident also plays a vital role. When you recollect an experience, the place of occurrence automatically pops in your head.

Stories play an important role in our memory. When you narrate a story, people find it easy to remember. Thus story, place, and emotion are the foundations of a strong memory. As much as these factors help us to strengthen our memories, they may also misrepresent them. Even our most significant memories can change over time. Memories are what keep our identity alive.

This leaves us with the question of why memories are so important. Memories are the roots of our future. Mentally projecting ourselves back into the past or forward into the future can take many forms — a cursory thought, a vague image, or a vivid and consuming scenario.

After Henry Molaison’s surgery, he not only experienced memory loss but also was not able to create new memories. He was not able to remember what he spoke minutes ago or the TV show he watched. So our future and the past are linked in our brains.

Memory studies open up new avenues for a better understanding of the connotations in memory. In conclusion, memories are unreliable and the phrase “memories last forever” is itself a lie.