Why your first memory could be a fake

According to a new study, almost 40% of us claim to have memories from before the age of two. let's say it's just not possible

What we remember is a constructed version of reality based on old photographs or things that our parents told us that, with the time, became true memories

. "When people say their memories are wrong, they often do not believe it," says Martin Conway, director of the City of London's Center for Memory and Law.

Professor Conway and his team surveyed 6641 people, and found 38.6 percent claim to have memories before they were two years old. More than 13% said they could remember events prior to their first birthday.

"The systems that allow us to remember things are very complex, and it is only at five or six years that we form adult memories." The way the brain is growing and thanks to our growing understanding of the world, "says Professor Conway

Current research suggests that the first real memories we make go back to the age of three and a half.

Middle age and older are more likely to claim to remember the events of their childhood, which gives an idea of ​​what is happening.

"These fictitious memories are based on fragments of early experiences – like a pram, Family relationships and feelings of sadness – and some facts or knowledge about their own childhood or childhood that may have been derived from photographs or family conversations, "said City University of London in a statement

. in mind when recalling these early memories are a mental representation consisting of memorized fragments of early experiences and some facts or knowledge about their own childhood, instead of real memories.

"Over time, such mental representations are experienced in a recollective way when they come to mind." Previous research has found that memories change over time because whenever they are Remember, imperfections creep in. The longer the brain often brings them "Your memory of an event may become less accurate to the point of being totally wrong with every recovery," said researcher Donna Bridge, of the 39, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2012,

"When you think back to an event that happened to you a long time ago – say your first day at school – you may remember information you have found.

According to Professor Conway, many initial "memories" are based on things common to most of us: baby carriages, toys and mothers

. could have come from someone who said something like "mother had a big green stroller". The person then imagines what she would have looked like. Over time, these fragments become a memory and often the person starts to add things like a row of toys along the top. "The person who remembers them does not know that it is fictional."

The latest research was published in the journal Psychological Science Tuesday.

Newshub.