Why strangers may have similar memories: Nelson Mandela effect

The Mandela Effect became a topic of discussion after the politician’s death in 2013, when many began to argue that the former president of South Africa died in 1980.

The essence of the effect is that a group of people remember something that never really happened but remained in their memory. A large number of people in the world are interested in this phenomenon. The Internet has played an important role here.

Today, there are many examples of the Mandela effect that spanned different areas of life. For example, in history and art, cinema and politics. One of the hypotheses claims that the reason for everything is the movement into a parallel reality.

How did you manage to discover the Mandela effect?

Nelson Mandela ruled South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He became famous for the fact that he actively fought for human rights. For which he paid with his freedom and served in prison for about 27 years. If the world has heard about this person, few know about the Mandela effect. Today it is one of the most discussed topics among society and psychologists.

The Mandela Effect is when a group of people exhibit a false memory of a particular event, statement, or still from a film. Psychologists say that somehow the collective memory fails and remembers events and details of reality that are radically different from the details of the official history.

It all began in 2013 when Nelson Mandela died of lung problems. Representatives of the South African authorities officially announced this. However, on the Internet, users staged a large-scale discussion of the death of a politician and a fighter for human rights. People were outraged by the blatant lie. Indeed, according to many, the politician did not die in 2013, but in 1980, while serving time in prison. Some recalled that they even saw the news about it. So why does South Africa claim that the politician left this world in 2013?

All would be fine, but Nelson Mandela really died in 2013. From 1962 to 1980, the politician spent in prison on Robben Island. Only in 1990 was he released. So the politician could not die in 1980. A certain Fiona Broome introduced the term for this psychological phenomenon, who was considered an “active hunter” for paranormal phenomena. She was sure that the whole point is not in collective memory but in the movement of a person (a group of people) into a parallel reality.

What hypotheses can explain the manifestation of the Mandela effect

Scientists and psychologists are interested in the cause of this phenomenon. Of course, none of them could unequivocally explain where this phenomenon comes from. Various hypotheses arose that somehow could explain the mystical behavior of people.

False memories prove the existence of parallel worlds. People who experience the Mandela effect will likely move into a parallel reality at some point in time. However, this hypothesis still causes a lot of controversies.

Scientists have offered their own explanation. Confabulation is probably taking place. The point is in the recollection of a number of facts that could have happened at another time or did not happen at all. In ordinary life, this phenomenon is often encountered. Psychotherapists claim that this is a type of memory disorder. At the same time, the person is convinced that all events are real and true.

The main reasons for confabulation are:

1. Mental disorders. For example, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In this case, the patients tell what has never happened to them.
2. Alcohol intoxication and mental trauma.
3. Organic damage to the central nervous system. For example, with Alzheimer’s disease or traumatic brain injury.

Some are convinced that these are the tricks of black magicians who want to confuse the world. Others think that computer stimulation is to blame. After all, most of the information comes to people via the Internet. Jean A. Brewer, PhD from Arizona, is convinced that memorizing certain things incorrectly is a matter. And since brain algorithms work the same way, a group of people can have similar memories. This effect can happen to anyone.

Examples of the impact of the Mandela effect

Probably, many people have encountered such an effect in their lives and were surprised at some incomprehensible hoax.

1. Many were convinced that the explosion of the Challenger shuttle and the death of 7 crew members did not occur in 1986 but 2 years earlier.
2. Some depict the tail of the world-famous Pokemon Pikachu with a dark tip. However, in fact, he only has black markings on his ears.
3. The Mandela effect is noted in films, songs, and cartoons.
4. If you look closely at the mask of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, you can see 2 snakes, and not one, as many claims.
5. The famous singer Michael Jackson constantly bleached his skin. Many were convinced that he did not want to be a Negro, and they were mistaken. The artist had a congenital vitiligo disease, which pretty much spoiled his life and appearance.
6. In the children’s fantastic film “Guest from the Future” the song “Beautiful is far away” sounds. There are such words: “I hear a voice from a beautiful distance, it calls me not to heavenly lands.” However, many hum “to wonderful lands.”
7. In the film “Carnival Night” Lyudmila Gurchenko sings the song “Five Minutes”. Some argue that there are words: “5 minutes, 5 minutes – is that a lot or a little?” If you listen carefully to the words of her song, then there is no such thing at all.
8. The song about the red-haired Antoshka contains the following words; “Dili-dili, trawl-wali.” Some say tili-tili should be chanted.

One of the striking examples of this phenomenon is still the death of Nelson Mandela itself. Some people confused the date of his death (instead of 2013, they named it 1980).

Is it possible to protect against the Mandela effect, how dangerous it is

It would seem that such an effect can be caused by serious reasons that have some kind of effect on a person. If this concerns the state of health, then, of course, there is a certain danger to humans. Probably, the Mandela effect is based on simple inattention and a strong desire of people to learn everything mysterious and inexplicable.

This effect can affect absolutely all people on the planet. It is difficult to resist the urge to exaggerate or fantasize. It is even more difficult to deal with your daily carelessness. For society, this phenomenon carries the receipt of false information, which, of course, can affect the course of some events. This is more perceived as a misunderstanding or forgetfulness.