Almost half of the first memories of people never arrived – Vida Actual – Latest news from Uruguay and the world updated

Despite the years, many people keep very bright memories of when we were very young. However, these memories may not be real

About 40% of early memories are probably fictitious, according to a new study published in Psychological Science.

These results come from a survey of 6,641 people in the United Kingdom. United, who found that nearly 2,560 respondents (38.6%) reported having memories of when they were two years old or younger.

However, there is a problem: researchers say humans do not remember when they were 3.5 years old. years on average. For the authors of the study, many people who brought back vivid memories of their first two years of life forced an experiment.

"The person with such memories does not know that they are fictitious," says Martin Conway, director of the Center for Memory. "The systems that allow us to remember things are very complex, and it is only five or six years that we form memories similar to those of adults because of the way they develop. because of our mature understanding of the world, "he adds

How are fictitious memories formed?

So why do so many people seem to have first memories? Fictitious are probably combined from extracts of early experiences – such as a particular feeling towards a family member, a favorite toy, etc. – and combined with the knowledge about their childhood that is learned later.

A particular type of fictional memory that many respondents reported having to do with their stroller. "For this person, this kind of memory could have resulted from someone saying something like" my Mother had a big green stroller, "said Conway.

"Then the person imagines what it would look like, over time, these fragments become a memory and many times the person starts adding things like a chain of toys to the top." Over time, these mental fragments are remembered as adults and they are experienced as memories, "explained Conway.

So, you know, if you have a memory that happened before the age of three and that it contains a lot of detail, it's very likely it's just a story that you've been said when growing older.