Mandela Effect Debunked : 40 Possible Explanations and Theories

Mandela Effect Debunked

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40. Misinformation Effect

The misinformation effect happens when suggestibility dictates a person’s recollection of events. Suggestibility is defined by your memory being influenced by other people. When an individual is exposed to misleading information, this can alter their memory. For example, If someone told you that Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson did a song together in the 90’s, this could implant a false memory in your brain. In addition, the spread of false news through social media and other news outlets factor into several individuals misremembering events that never occurred.

39.Confabulation

Confabulation occurs when an individual’s memory is disturbed, which produces inaccurate and false memories. People who suffer from confabulation are very confident that their memories actually happened, even when confronted with evidence that proves other wise. The main causes of confabulation is brain damage or brain disorders like Alzheimer’s. The people who claim to have experienced the Mandela effect exhibit the same characteristics as confabulation victims.

38.Confirmation bias

When a person’s intent is to only look for or recall information that validates their own preconceived notions, this called confirmation bias. For individuals claiming to be suffering from the Mandela effect, they often only seek out information that confirms their beliefs and disregard any evidence that contradicts it. For example, the people who believed Mandela died in the 80’s will ignore all the evidence that disproves their recollections, and instead use alternative realities or conspiracy theories as a justification for their memories.

37.Misattribution of memory

When a person forgets where a particular memory comes from, this is called the misattribution of memory. For example, Ronal Reagan once believed he had gave a medal to a pilot, but in reality he saw a movie about a pilot. Ronald Reagan wrongly attributed his memory of watching a movie to an actual event that he was apart of. People confusing the source of memories is a prevalent factor in a lot of Mandela affect cases.

36. Misconceptions

With the rapid evolution of technology and human knowledge, things that were once classified as facts have been proven to be false. One of the biggest catalysts to these Mandela affect cases are misconceptions. People who are not up to date on new information can potential spread false information to other people, as a result, with get a large segment of society perpetuating false information.

35. False Memories

When an individual’s brain produces memories that never materialized in real life, this is classified as false memories. The common precursors to this particular psychological disorder is some type of trauma. In most cast cases, false memories are often connected to post traumatic stress disorder or some form of abuse. The affect of the trauma can result in victims creating fake memories to cope with their experience. Moreover, people with false memories are very stubborn when it comes to information that contradicts their beliefs. This characteristic is very similar to a few Mandel effect cases.

34. Cryptomnesia

Confusing your imagination with reality is classified as cryptomnesia. Misattributing a made up event in your mind to something that actually occurred is another factor that should taken into consideration when analyzing these Mandela effect cases. There have been many examples of people misremembering events come from getting what is real and what is imagined crossed up.

33.Memory Errors

In some instances, our minds will jumble up pieces of information stored in our brain. According psychology professor David Ludden, our memory was not designed to keep record of events, instead the purpose of our memory is to help us predict the outcomes of situations to regulate our everyday behavior. The main function of our memory isn’t accuracy, so when you recall something happening the specific details and circumstances surrounding that occurrence can be muddled. This is a key factor in a lot Mandela effect cases.

32.Misinterpretation

A lot of Mandela effect cases revolve around people falsely remembering quotes from movies and spellings of food products. This stems from people mishearing or misinterpreting images. For example, one case of the Mandela effect involved people mistakenly remembering Darth Vader saying, “Luke, I am your Father”, in the Star Wars movie, but in actuality Darth Vader never stated that line. A bunch of people misheard what Darth Vader actually said, which led to the widespread remembrance

31.Social Reinforcement

Social reinforcement is defined by humans performing a certain action for acceptance or a reward. This psychological phenomenon can be applied to the Mandela effect cases. Individuals hearing other people falsely remembering events can influence them to create false memories to fit in with the crowd and feel acceptance as a result.

30.Cognitive Dissonance

According to psychologist, the mental stress that comes with exhibiting contradictive behaviors or being confronted with information that challenges your belief system is called cognitive dissonance. This psychological phenomenon applies to a lot of the Mandela cases. In many instances, people who falsely remember events become very defensive when presented with information that contradicts what they believe in their head. The people who believe that Nelson Mandela died in prison during the 1980’s, demonstrated the exact same characteristics of a person experiencing cognitive dissonance. Reality is contradicting their belief system and they can’t accept it.

29. Being Apart Of Something Bigger Than Yourself

Humans often have a strong desire to be apart of something bigger than themselves. When it comes to the Mandela effect theory, believing you are apart of some alternative realty, parallel universe, or time glitch is an intriguing thought. Individuals can get caught up in the fantasy of being apart of some grand conspiracy or scientific conundrum that they convince themselves to remember events that never occurred.

28. Desire To Effect Change

Most individuals would like to effect change in their lives or the world in general. So what better way to that than to believe you are experiencing the Mandela effect. Being one of several people to say you remember something that never occurred puts emphasis on your thoughts and makes you an integral part of a psychological phenomenon that is sweeping the nation.

27.Transience

When your memory is weakened by the passage of time, this is classified as transience. One great example of this is when former presidential candidate and neurosurgeon Ben Carson stated he was offered a full scholarship by the West Point Military Academy. The only problem with his claim is that that the West Point Military Academy do not offer full scholarships. With Carson being of an older age, it is perfectly reasonable for him to misremember certain events that happened in the earlier apart of his life. Transience can also be used to explain the Mandela effect cases. Over a long period of time, it is quite possible for a large segment of the population to misremember certain events thanks to a faulty memory bank.

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26.Absentmindedness

Memory lapses that come from a lack of attention or focus are classified as absentmindedness. Leaving your wallet at home, forgetting an appointment, misplacing your car keys, and losing your driver’s license are all perfect examples of absentmindedness. In addition, absentmindedness plays a key role in Mandela effect cases. If a bunch of people aren’t paying full attention to a particular event, this will cause the finer details of the event to be misconstrued.

25. Time Travel Misconception

Many people that believe they have experienced the Mandela effect theory point to time traveler tampering with history. The problem with that assumption is that time travelers interfering would alter more than movie lines, brand logos, and celebrities death. Affecting the timeline would cause a large segment of the population to never exist and drastically change the landscape of life on earth.

24. Alternate Reality Myth

Paranormal investigator, Fiona Broome, created the concept of the Mandela effect after her and other individuals shared the same memory of Mandela dying in the 80’s. Broome’s explanation for the widespread false remembrance is she and others were in a alternate reality when they heard the news of Nelson Mandela’s death in a South African prison during the 1980’s. The problem with this theory is there is no credible evidence to back up the claim. According to physicist Paul Davies, there is empirical data to validate the existence of multiple realities.

23. Brain Conditioning

A common case of the Mandela effect is people thinking the United States of America has 51 states, instead of 50 states. This mistake happens because our brains are conditioned to think that the even number of 50 is incorrect, while the odd number of 51 seems correct in our brain. Specific expectations and preconceived notions are implanted in all of our brains, as a result, things that are correct don’t sound correct in our minds.

22. Presentation Inconsistences

One source that produces several Mandela effect cases is inconsistent visual presentations of people, things, and places. For example, there has been a significant amount of confusion an debate over the actual size and shape of Russia. The fact that the look of Russia is more bloated on Google Maps compared to the visual representation on a globe contributed to this theory.

21. Perceived Insignificance

The classic movie the Wizard of Oz features a scene where the scarecrow is holding gun, but a lot of people who have watched this movie claim to have no recollection of that scene happening. Furthermore, the explanation for this particular scene in the movie is it was connected to a larger scene that was deleted from the final version of the film. The fact that people don’t remember the scene points to it’s overall insignificance to the movie’s overall plotline. Events that are viewed as insignificant can be misremembered or forgotten all together.

20. Observational Errors

People remembering Chick-fil-A as Chik-fil-A or Chic-fil-A is another prevalent Mandela affect case. This false memory stems from an observational error. The cursive style of writing that the Chick-fil-A logo uses could make an individual not notice the k in the name, as a result, the incorrect observation can become ingrained in that person’s head.

19. Mental Cross Ups

Several people remember the Monopoly man wearing a monocle, but he doesn’t. A potential cause of this Mandela effect is a mental cross up. People can be confusing the Monopoly man with Mr. Peanut, who does wear a monocle. Attributing the wrong characteristics to a person, place, or thing is the starting point to a lot of Mandela affect cases.

18.Out of Ordinary Characteristics

A large segment of the population remember Curios George having a tail, but the truth is Curious George never had a tail. A possible explanation for this Mandela affect is people taking the fact that they see monkeys with tails all the time and just assuming that Curious George was no different. Moreover, a monkey’s tail is one its most common characteristics, so the fact that Curious George doesn’t have a tail is abnormal characteristic that certain people’s minds didn’t process.

17.Fill In The Blanks

Some cases of the Mandela effect include people adding lines or scenes to movies. When you watch a movie, it is possible for your brain to add scenes or lines that would make sense in the context of the storyline. One example of this is people remembering a line from Silence of the Lambs that wasn’t actually said in the movie. A lot of people firmly believe that Hannibal Lecter said “Hello, Clarice.” But in actuality, Hannibal Lecter told Clarice “Good Morning” when they first met. Moreover, the fact that “Hello, Clarice” is the most famous line from the movie Silence of the Lambs is irony at it’s finest.

16. Misassociation

Misassociation occurs when an individual incorrectly associates a name, behavior, or attribute with the wrong thing. For example, a lot of people remember Jif peanut butter as being named Jiffy, but the fact is the popular peanut butter was always called Jif. A possible cause for this Mandela effect case is the advertisement for Jif peanut butter featuring the words “in a jiffy”. As a result, people hearing the word jiffy in the Jif peanut butter commercial could have caused people’s brains to misassociate that word with the actual name of the brand.

15. Incorrectness Being Correct

A lot of people remember “Froot Loops” being spelled “Fruit Loops”, but that was never the case. This popular type of cereal has always been spelled with two o’s in the middle, instead of the u and i in the correct spelling of the word. When people remember the correct spelling of a word, it is natural for them to assume that a product of the same name would be that same spelling. The Kellogg’s brand untraditional spelling of a simple word led to this Mandela effect case.

14.Similiar Sounds

A lot of people remember the 1994 fantasy drama movie “Interview with the Vampire” as “Interview with a Vampire”. A common factor in Mandela effect cases is similar sounds being confused. The pronunciation of “a” and “the” are similar, which produced a mix up in this case. It is very easy to think you heard one thing, when words closely resemble one another.

13. Not Paying Close Attention

A large segment of the population remember the robot C-3PO from the classic Star Wars movies as being all gold, but in reality the robot had a silver leg. What led to this Mandela affect case was people not paying close attention to the minor details. Furthermore, it is easy to miss subtle details such as, C-3PO having a silver leg, when you are engaged in the storyline, visuals, and dialogue that comes in a great movie.

12. Lies

One factor to consider while analysing the Mandela effect cases, is people flat out lying just to toy with public perception. People making up false memories for their own satisfaction or enjoyment is a very real possibility. Creating false memories can be a form of excitement or escapism from the real world for some individuals.

11. Multiple Personality Disorder

An individual with multiple personality disorder will have at the very least two separate distinct identities. This disorder impairs memory and causes extreme forms of behaviour. Since multiple personality disorder is connected to the damage of memories, it is logical to believe that a few of these Mandela affect cases can come from mental illnesses like multiple personality disorder.

10.Paranoia

One of the main driving forces behind wacky and improbable conspiracy theories like the Mandela effect is paranoia. Paranoia is characterised by living in a constant state of fear, being overly suspicious, and having a delusional perception of reality. The human brain can sometimes have the tendency to overthink scenarios and make simple things complex. When it comes to people who wholeheartedly believe in theories like the Mandela effect, paranoia is an imperative part of their belief system.

9.Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild Cognitive Impairment is a brain disease that will negatively affect your language and memory. This impairment relates back to the Mandela affect cases because of its influence on memory. Compromised or damaged cognitive functions can produce all of the characteristics exhibited by several individuals caught up in the Mandela effect phenomenon.

8.Agnosia

Agnosia is a memory disorder that causes people to not recognise specific people, noises, or objects. This disorder is mainly caused by damage to the parietal lobes or occipital in your brain. Many Mandela effects cases involve individuals not recognising specific things that have occurred throughout history, so there is a possibility of a connection between the two.

7.Dementia

Dementia is characterised by several forms of brain deterioration. Dementia affects an individual’s personality, reasoning, and memory. This brain disease is mostly common in older people and does severe damage to the human brain. A lot of the people who are apart of these Mandela affect cases exhibit characteristics of a dementia patient.

6.Amnesia

Amnesia is a loss of memory that is commonly facilitated by the brain or psychological trauma. Amnesia victims usually forget life experiences, historical facts, and general information. By analysing several Mandela affect cases, you can see a very clear-cut connection between Amnesia victims and individuals part of the Mandela Effect theory.

5.Stress

An extreme amount of stress can affect a person’s memory. Our memory process allows us to receive new information, learn new concepts, and recall certain events. When mental stress is added to our minds, it interferes with the way our brain processes information, as a result, we are more susceptible to forgetting and misremembering specific events we see or experience throughout our lives. There is a strong possibility that stress plays a vital role in the recent uptick of Mandela cases.

4.Brain Injury

A severe brain injury can permanently damage your memory. Blunt force trauma to the head can lead to immediate confusion and forgetting specific events. In addition, brain injury symptoms like fatigue, anger, depression, sleep deprivation, and anxiety contribute lapses in memory. In rare cases, brain injury could play a role in some Mandela effect cases.

3.Nutritional Deficiency

Vitamins and nutrients are an essential to the brain carrying out its normal functions. Not consuming the right amount of nutrients will negatively affect your mental health, which could lead to brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. A diet void of nutritional value could play a key role in the Mandela effect cases.

2.Medications

Taking medications like painkillers, antidepressants, sleeping pills, diabetes drugs, cholesterol lowering drugs and many more can have an adverse affect on your memory. The reason for this is because the chemicals inside these drugs have side effects that damage your cognitive functions. Medication usage could possibly play a role in some Mandela affect cases.

1.Silent Strokes

Silent strokes damage your blood vessels, which will lead to reduced blood flow to your brain. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to your brain, so it can properly function and process information correctly. Silent strokes disrupt the cognitive process and lead to brain damage and memory loss. In conclusion, silent stokes could play a small role in some of the Mandela cases, due to the large affect that this disease has on memory.

Cited Sources:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/5-surprising-causes-memory-loss/
https://phys.org/news/2013-01-dont-infinite-scientists.html
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/are-parallel-universes-unscientific-nonsense-insider-tips-for-criticizing-the-multiverse/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/memory-loss/art-20046326
http://knowingneurons.com/2017/02/01/mandela-effect/