Why Memories Change

Memory is like the old telephone game. You remember when kids took turns whispering a message into the ear of the next person in line? By the time the last person spoke it out loud, the message had radically changed. It’s been altered with each retelling.

Every time you remember an event from the past, your brain networks change in ways that can alter the later recall of the event. Thus, the next time you remember it, you might recall not the original event but what you remembered the previous time.

Each time you remember something, like an event, your memory can become distorted or less precise. Research suggests that human memories area is always adapting. Take note, lawyers and eyewitnesses.