Quick quiz: What did Darth Vader say to Luke at the end of Star Wars Episode V? If you answered, “Luke, I am your father,” go watch the end again. He actually says, “No, I am your father!” but try telling that to the generations of Star Wars fans who are positive it went down the other way.
And this isn’t the only cultural misremembering that plagues the history of our favorite shows and movies — “Beam me up, Scotty” and “Play it again, Sam” are never said in Star Trek or in Casablanca. Our favorite quotes are getting twisted left and right.
The things we’ve watched over and over are being misquoted again and again and it got me thinking – what else are we not remembering correctly?
Dr. Ken Eisold said that memories are stored in our brains in a much more unreliable way than the computer files we might imagine them to be.
“Neuroscientists have shown that each time we remember something, we are reconstructing the event, reassembling it from traces throughout the brain,” Eisold said.
So that means that the things we remember and the way we remember them changes every time we recall a particular relationship, event or conversation.
What are the implications? Think back to the last argument you had with your roommate, boyfriend or mom. Can you even remember the things that were said or who started it? We tend to remember in our favor in order to preserve our self-esteem, Eisold said.
So how well can we really rely on the most pivotal interactions as we remember them? Who’s to say that the way you recall the argument is even accurate?
My point here is to reconsider the existence of the grudge in our relationships. As time passes, our memories of events change. While in a good mood, we remember things more favorably than in a bad mood. When more time has passed, details become fuzzy and then clear, as certain things remind us of the conversation.
So, what’s the point of staying mad when you could be misled in your recollection of the whole event? Let go of those grudges. Release your anger. Because life’s too short, and odds are you’re probably not remembering it right anyway.
Reach the columnist at alesha.rimmelin@asu.edu
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