Emotionally intense memories stimulate a specific brain network for recall. Positive memories promote bonding, but they do not have the urgency of recall for survival.
From the pain of social rejection to the trauma of a near-death experience, negative events remain etched in our memory with astonishing clarity.
Evolutionary psychology and neuroscience converge on a central idea that remembering what hurts us is deeply adaptive. The human brain, shaped by the challenges of survival, has developed mechanisms that prioritize the encoding and recall of negative experiences, potentially as a matter of life and death.
Neuroscience studies have shown that emotional memories, especially negative ones, activate certain regions of the brain more intensely than neutral or positive memories.
The amygdala, a structure involved in processing fear and threats, plays a central role in modulating the power of memory consolidation (LaBar, 2007). It works in collaboration with the hippocampus, which organizes memories, and the prefrontal cortex, which interprets and contextualizes emotional experiences.
When individuals encounter threatening or traumatic situations, this triad of brain structures engages strongly, ensuring easy memory encoding and retrieval (Wilker, Elbert, and Kolassa, 2014).
Bad vs. Good and the roles they play
While negative memories play a crucial role in avoiding immediate danger, positive memories serve a more subtle but equally important function. Joyful experiences reinforce behaviors that enhance long-term reproductive success and strengthen social cohesion. For example, the memory of a celebration or romantic connection encourages individuals to pursue similar experiences in the future, strengthening group bonding and overall physical fitness.
Although we may appreciate a beautiful sunset or a moment of affection, these memories typically lack the lasting neurological trace that trauma can leave behind.
În mod neașteptat, sugarii sunt capabili să formeze amintiri puternice legate de experiențele negative, mai arată oamenii de știință.
Recunoașterea faptului că creierul nostru a evoluat pentru a se concentra asupra amintirilor negative poate fi îmbucurătoare. Metode precum reîncadrarea cognitivă, meditația mindfulness-ul și scrisul expresiv reduc în mod eficient impactul emoțional al amintirilor negative și îmbunătățesc rememorarea celor pozitive.
Dr. Sam Goldstein, Facultatea de Medicină a Universității Utah și coautor al cărții „Tenacity in Children”.