Parker Rollins What if you could intentionally forget an awful memory? In other words, erase traumatic events from your memory? This question has been debated and has been divided into its pros and cons. Events from our past can affect how we live our futures and if we could somehow harness the power to erase bad memories, we could live without the stress of the past. But, erasing memories can be a potential negative as bad memories can act as red flags for us to use when making critical decisions. Without these memories, we would have no knowledge of potential dangers. Also, losing memories is critical for our memory production and retrieval and is key to our identity. Manipulating this sequence could have negative effects that we do not understand. Recent scientific research has opened the possibility to which we could change society and the health of everyone. In a recent study in the New York Times, scientists have been studying whether or not we can forget events that have a negative effect on our lives. Since our emotions to sensory details are crucial to our memory production, the new study focused on this concept. Tracy Wang, a postdoctoral psychology fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, led the experiment where 24 participants sat in a brain-imaging machine while the memory test was being conducted. The participants were shown 200 images of faces and scenes and told to identify the faces and male or female and the scenes as indoor or outdoor. After each image, they were told to either remember or forget the image. After a short break, the participants were shown the images and asked if they confidently remembered the image. The results: the participants remembered approximately 50 to 60% of the images which means they successfully forgot 40% of the images. The brain-imaging showed that when a participant concentrated on forgetting or when a participant mentally ignored the image, it did not contribute to a successful attempt at forgetting. Rather, those individuals that did not focus too much on forgetting actually successfully forgot an image. The study supports the possibility of controllable forgetting which is opening the door for new methods of forgetting. Intentional ignoring is a common method of suppression of bad memories. It is also shown that linking bad memories to underlying positives of the memory can help manipulate the memory into a positive one helping forget the bad event. I found this particularly relatable as I have had many humiliating experiences in my life and rather than focusing on the shame and regret I feel, I have manipulated these memories to focus on the support my friends gave me and the lessons I learned so I am less affected by the bad event than I could have been. I think the idea that we could consciously forget bad memories can be a groundbreaking scientific discovery as it can be a vital treatment for patients suffering from depression, stress, and neglect. We could treat victims with childhood neglect and trauma into living normal lives without the pain and suffering they can endure. Think about it, you can intentionally forget your worst memories and live a healthier lifestyle just by changing your memory! Bibliography Used:
Carey, B. (2019, March 22). Can We Get Better at Forgetting? Retrieved May 21, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/health/memory-forgetting-psychology.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=29&pgtype=collection Photo: https://www.foundrymag.com/opinion/avoiding-forgetting-curve
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Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
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