We’ve all done it – you’re walking around going about your business and suddenly you’re thinking about that time in high school you said something really stupid you would never say now.
Or, that moment a few decades ago when you made an embarrassing social gaffe.
You cringe, and want to die from shame.
Why does it seem like these bad memories pop into our heads so easily? Even though the event is over, why are we still embarrassed?
How do memories come into our awareness?
Current thinking suggests that there are two main ways we can recall past experiences.
One way is intentional and voluntary. If you want to remember what you did yesterday at the office or what you ate last Saturday for lunch, this is one way. This is a deliberate, laborious process that we use to search our memories.
The second option is Unintentional and spontaneous. These memories are not consciously present in our minds, but they can be unwelcome or intrusive. Where does this second type come from?
One key ingredient is how memories connect to each other. Our past experiences are represented in the current understanding. Connected networks of cellsThey are known as neurons.
Through the overlap of information in these representations, these neurons form physical connections.
Memories might, for example, share a type or context (different beaches, restaurants visited), or occur at the same time (childhood, highschool years) or have emotional or thematic overlap (times when we have argued or loved others).
External stimuli such as sounds, tastes or smells can trigger the initial activation of a new memory. Or, internal stimuli, such thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, may trigger it.
When these memories are activated in neurons, the associated memories are created. It is more likely that you will be recalled in conscious awareness.
For example, you might walk past a bakery and smell fresh bread. Then, suddenly, your mind may wander back to last weekend, when it was possible to cook a meal for someone. This could lead to a recall of toast being burned or smoke in the house.
Some activations will not lead to conscious memories, and sometimes the associations between memories may not be clear.
What makes memories so powerful?
Memories are often triggered by memories. These situations can trigger emotional reactions. Involuntary memories are, in fact, more common Negative memories are more common than positive ones. Negative memories can also be a result of a stronger emotional toneMore than the positive.
People are more motivated avoid bad outcomes, bad situations and bad definitions than they are to find good ones. This may be due to the urgent need to survive in this world, both mentally and physically.
These involuntary memories may make you feel sad, anxious, ashamed, or even embarrassed.
An example of this is a memory that causes shame or embarrassment. This could indicate to us that we have done something others find disgusting or unacceptable, or have violated social norms.
These emotions are essential for us to feel. We can learn from our past experiences and use these emotional responses to help us manage future situations in a different way.
Do some people experience this more than others?
It’s all good and we can remember the past and still feel the emotions. It may occur for certain people more than others and with stronger emotions.
Research on the topic provides one clue. Memories that are mood-congruent. This is the tendency for us to recall more memories that are consistent in our. Current mood.
You are more likely to remember memories that relate to loss, disappointment, and shame if you’re sad.
Do you feel anxious or negative about yourself? More likely than not, you will recall times when your feelings of fear or insecurity.
Some mental disorders, like major depressionPeople recall negative memories more frequently than positive ones. The negative emotions are stronger and are perceived as facts. This is how feelings are made into facts.
Another factor that is more prevalent in mental health disorders than others is Rumination. We ruminate about our past experiences, and how we feel about them.
The function of ruminating is, on the surface at least, to attempt to “work out” the past and learn or solve problems so that it doesn’t happen again.
This is a great idea in theory. However, when we ruminate we get stuck in the past and relive negative emotions. Without much benefit.
This means that the memories in our neural network become stronger connected with other information, making them more likely to be. Involuntarily recalled.
Is it possible to end the negative feelings?
The good news about memories is that they are highly adaptable. Recalling a memory can help us to expand on it, change our feelings, and appraise past experiences.
This is what we refer to as “reconsolidationIt is possible to make changes so that the memory is different from what it was before and with a new emotional tone.
We might recall a time when, for example, we were anxious about a test or job interview and felt sad or ashamed.
You might need to reflect, elaborate, and reframe that memory. This could include remembering parts that were successful, including the fact that you took on a challenge, and reminding yourself that it is acceptable to feel anxious and disappointed.
You can reduce the prominence of these experiences by rewriting them in a rational and compassionate manner. It is possible to improve our well-being.
For rumination One strategy that is evidence-basedIt is important to be able to identify when it is happening so that you can shift your attention to something more absorbing and sensorial. This attention-shifting can reduce rumination and make you more valuable.
Keep in mind that although our brains will only give us a few reminders of past experiences, this doesn’t mean that we need to dwell on the past.
David John Hallford, Senior Lecturer, and Clinical Psychologist. Deakin University
This article was republished by The ConversationUnder a Creative Commons License Please read the Original article.
