The following article was published on Science of People and written by Galina Hitching.
Have you ever been absolutely certain about a past event, only to find out it never happened the way you recall? You’re not alone!
From misremembering iconic lines in movies to recalling historical events incorrectly, the Mandela Effect showcases the unreliability of our memories. Stick around as we delve into the science behind this bewildering experience!
The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon where a large group of people remember an event or detail differently than how it actually occurred. It is named after Nelson Mandela, as many people incorrectly remembered him dying in prison in the 1980s, despite his actual death occurring in 2013. This effect highlights how collective memories can diverge from historical facts, often involving pop culture references or significant events.
While some people say the Mandela Effect is just due to confirmation bias or misremembering, others entertain more speculative explanations, such as parallel universes.
The Mandela effect is different than being confused or forgetting the details of something that happened. Instead, the Mandela effect is when your memories don’t match reality. Then, to make it even crazier, multiply your experience into a collective memory, where many people are confused about the same thing!
Check your memory with our Mandela Effect test. The answers are at the bottom of each question.
1. When did Nelson Mandela die?
Let’s get to the most famous Mandela Effect example. Although the South African president didn’t die until 2013, many people remember Nelson Mandela dying in the 80s while in prison. Some even remember his widow giving a speech after his death.
2. Is it Berenstein Bears or Berenstain Bears?
Ah, the classic childhood memory: curling up with a Berenstein Bears book. Wait, did we say Berenstein with an “e?” Plot twist: It’s actually spelled Berenstain Bears with an “a,” much to the surprise and disbelief of countless people.
3. Did the Fruit of the Loom logo have a cornucopia?
No, not even as far back as 1893. Yes, we know it does look better with it.
4. Which is the correct quote from Star Wars? “Luke, I am your father.” or “No. I am your father.”
While many fans swear by the line “Luke, I am your father,” Darth Vader actually said, “No, I am your father.” It’s as if our memories have been tampered with by a Jedi Mind Trick!
5. Throwing some shade on Risky Business
In 1983, Tom Cruise danced across our screens in Risky Business, wearing a button-up shirt, white socks, and sunglasses. If you rewatch the scene, you’ll see Tom is not sporting the sunglasses that are present in just about every parody of this scene.
6. Mister Rogers’s theme song isn’t what you remember
For those who grew up with Mister Roger’s smiling face, and even those who didn’t, the theme song is familiar in American pop culture. But, while we all remember it as, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,” the lyrics are actually, “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood.”
7. Mirror, mirror…
Most of us seem to remember the famous phrase from Snow White to be “Mirror, mirror on the wall.” And while this has been recreated and repeated in any number of pop culture references and spoofs, it seems we’ve all got it a little wrong. The correct phrase was “Magic mirror on the wall.”
8. Play it again, Sam
Casablanca is a treasure trove of one-liners, but one of the most beloved and oft-quoted lines isn’t what we remember it to be. The closest Humphrey Bogart got to this famed line was only, “Play it!
9. Toons or Tunes?
Yet another blast from the past has us questioning whether it was Looney Toons or Looney Tunes. Saturday morning is filled with memories of Looney Toons, but the correct spelling of the show was Looney Tunes.
10. Tinker Bell & the Disney Logo
Remember how Tinker Bell used to write the Disney Logo with her wand and dot the I at the end? While Tink did fly in and sprinkle pixie dust around the Disney logo on several movies, it was never in this exact way that many people remember.
11. Play me a melody, play me a memory
Song lyrics can be hard to catch, with some musicians abandoning diction for creative expression. This isn’t the case when Billy Joel sings “Piano Man.” We checked, and he clearly sings, “Son, can you play me a memory?” but many people remember it as, “Son, can you play me a melody?”
12. Feel the Febreeeze
Febreze has been around for a while, making the world fresher. So maybe that’s why some people remember the brand as Febreeze, a literal take on product branding. If you remember it with two e’s, here’s one consolation—even people who have worked for the company have gotten it wrong too!
13. Good morning, Clarice
Hannibal Lecter never said the chilling “Hello Clarice” everyone remembers from the movie. Instead, he said, “Good morning, Clarice.”
14. “Interview with A Vampire” vs. “Interview with The Vampire”
Whether you’re a fang fan or not, you might remember Anne Rice’s book as “Interview with A Vampire.” Sink your teeth into this—the actual title uses “The,” not “A.”
15. White-Out our Wite-Out?
Correcting mistakes in the ’90s like a champ, you reach for the White-Out. Wait a minute, it’s spelled “Wite-Out”? That’s right, no ‘h’! It’s like our entire school life was a typo.
For more Mandella Effect examples, visit: What is The Mandela Effect? (63 Interesting Examples)
What are Some Causes of the Mandela Effect?
Some people say it’s easily explained with psychology and neuroscience, while others might believe different causes. Here are some of the possible causes of the Mandela effect.
Alternate Realities. This is the most popular non-scientific explanation for the Mandela effect and relies on the belief that infinite worlds and realities exist. This has made for fantastic movie plots, and some physicists even defend the multiverse2. Still, we’ll leave you to decide whether this is the most plausible explanation for the Mandela effect.
The Internet. While disinformation has recently gained more attention, the internet has long been a breeding ground for false information. There are constant announcements of people who have died but are still alive, information that is skewed and reinterpreted, and, let’s not even get into deep fake. If outside forces create the Mandela effect, we point to the internet.
Priming. You may have heard about this on crime shows; priming is when a person phrases a question so that they give the desired answer. Priming is also when the environment you live in impacts your responses. Our surroundings and what we see, hear, and imagine often shape perception and even memory3.
Confabulation. As humans, we need resolution, and our brain fills in the gaps that either don’t make sense or are simply missing. This is a great explanation for Mandela effects like Berenstain Bears, where the spelling makes more sense with an e. It’s possible people fill in the gaps and adjust reality to fit their presuppositions.
False Memories. Unlike confabulation, personal desire often fuels false memories5, along with the need for self-relevance, and other unconscious motivations. Researchers continue to be perplexed by false memories, and it remains a controversial topic.
If nothing else, the Mandela effect is a great conversation starter! If you’re looking for more, check out our 57 Killer Conversation Starters So You Can Start A Conversation With Anyone, Anytime
Article Resources:
https://psyarxiv.com/nzh3s/
https://daily.jstor.org/the-real-science-of-the-multiverse/
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1990-16343-001
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536961/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3143501/
