False Memories? Or ALTERNATE REALITIES?

First investigated by the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, “false memories” are defined as instances in which:

1. an individual recalls something that never actually took place, or
2. a person's recollection of a certain event does not match what actually occurred.

The mental activities known as perception and memory are two completely separate processes of the brain. As such, errors involving the two occur more often than we may think. We're all guilty of it: think about the last time you “could have sworn” you came home at midnight after that last round of drinks, only to realize that it was actually 2 am; verified by your friends telling you that you guys stuck around for last call.

But what about when these false memories are shared by multiple people? Not just a few people, but thousands of others, most of whom are unrelated/unconnected to one another. This strange phenomenon of a group of people recalling the same factually-inaccurate events was just recently (2015 in fact) coined “The Mandela Effect” by paranormal specialist Fiona Broome. Not only are the details of the event inaccurate, but they're also recalled with the exact same vividness and precision from one person to another.

Broome states that false memories collectively shared by large groups of individuals are more than mere coincidence, but rather, evidence of our ability to slide in and out of alternate realities. How, you may ask? Well it's not uncommon for one speculate about parallel universes or secondary lives...but Broome takes it a step further in her theory that certain individuals may already be accustomed to sliding in and out of other realities whether they're conscious of it or not! What's considered “false” to some may have actually taken place for others in an alternate timeline from a parallel universe. Thus, they feel as if they've shared the same—if not, similar—experiences with hoards of others.

The most famous example of this is the “Tank Man” of China's Tiananmen Square. This unnamed man courageously blocked the path of several oncoming tanks in a show of peaceful defiance. Many people claim to be able to vividly recall Tank Man being run over and killed by the tanks. But video footage shows him being dragged out of the way by several people after a brief interaction with one of the tank's drivers.

Fun fact: this photograph was actually named “The Unknown Rebel” by Time Magazine. The man was later included in a list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century!

Another such example—and the reason behind its name “The Mandela Effect”—was the death of Nelson Mandela, which occurred on December 5th, 2013 due to a prolonged respiratory infection. Mr. Mandela was clearly alive in 2010, but it was at this time that Fiona Broome (the paranormal consultant mentioned above) recalls vivid memories of him dying in a South African prison while he was incarcerated in the 1980s. Broome shared her experience on the Internet, only to find out that hundreds of others—most of whom were completely unrelated to one another—shared the exact same experience with nearly identical details!

Although it's fun to think about the possibility of alternate realities and parallel universes, most commentators believe that these factually-inaccurate memories were sparked by factors such as misleading information or images presented out of context. In reference to our discussion above regarding perception and memory, this led certain groups of people to perceive an event one way, and recall it from their memories in a different, factually-inaccurate way.

What's your take on “The Mandela Effect?” Do alternate realities truly exist? Or are they simply the coincidental product of misrepresented information that led to false memories?

For a more in-depth look at “The Mandela Effect” and other creepy cases of it, check out my latest video here: