‘Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings–always darker, emptier, simpler.’– Nietzsche
Two Cornell psychologists found we have two separate systems for memories, which helps explain how we can “remember” things that never happened. (…)
here are two distinct types of memory: Verbatim, which allows us to recall what specifically happened at any given moment, and gist, which enables us to put the event in context and give it meaning. (…) They occupy different sections of the brain. (…)
When an event occurs, verbatim memory records an accurate representation. But even as it is doing so, gist memory begins processing the information and determining how it fits into our existing storehouse of knowledge. Verbatim memories generally die away within a day or two, leaving only the gist memory, which records the event as we interpreted it. Under certain circumstances, this can produce “phantom recollection” in which gist memory creates a vivid but illusory image in our mind.
