An older gentleman looking at a photo.
When most people forget facts or how to do specific tasks, they believe they will never be able to recall the information again. It’s like once you forget something, it’s erased from the folds of your brain, wiped like ink from a whiteboard. However, that’s not entirely true; some memories are buried in deep parts of the brain that are harder to access, but they’re still there if you know where to look.
Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University recently created a clever illusion that allows people to access childhood memories they wouldn’t otherwise remember. They found that showing adults a photo of themselves from childhood helps them access childhood memories more easily.
“When our childhood memories were formed, we had a different body,” senior author Jane Aspell, who leads the Self & Body Lab at Anglia Ruskin University, said, according to PsyPost. “So we wondered: if we could help people experience aspects of that body again, could we help them recall their memories from that time?”
A granddaughter showing her grandmother old photos. via Canva/Photos
The researchers had people look at a photo of their childhood or adult face and answer questions from their childhood (up to age 11) or the last year. Those who looked at their childhood face remembered far more about their life before age 11 than those who looked at a photo of their adult self.
The researchers concluded that when we look at photos of ourselves as children, we are more likely to recall memories from our childhood because our brains encode memories based on the state of our bodies at the time.
“All the events that we remember are not just experiences of the external world, but are also experiences of our body, which is always present,” the study’s lead author, Utkarsh Gupta, told Anglia Ruskin University. “We discovered that temporary changes to the bodily self, specifically, embodying a childlike version of one’s own face, can significantly enhance access to childhood memories.”
Therefore, if you’re trying to remember what you dressed up as for Halloween in the second grade or recall the name of your first babysitter, stare at a photo of yourself as a child, and you’ll be much more likely to recall the memory.
A middle-aged woman digging through her memories. via Canva/Photos
The study mirrors one from two years ago that found a similar result. If you are trying to recall a past memory but can't bring it up, re-experiencing something associated with it can trigger the recall of the forgotten details. So, if you were trying to remember what all the rooms in the home you grew up in looked like, find a photo of the front of the house, and you will be more likely to recall what it was like to walk through the kitchen, bathroom, or dining room. If you are trying to remember who you went camping with in the eighth grade, turn on some music from that era, and you'll be more likely to recall their names.
The good news about these studies is that we shouldn’t think that just because we can’t recall something immediately, that it isn’t somewhere in the back of our minds, just waiting to be found. And that even though a memory might not pop up in the forefront of our minds, it’s still part of our subconscious and plays a role in who we are today and will be in the future.
Brendan Fraser opens up about the assault that caused him to leave Hollywood for almost 20 years.
20 years ago, Brendan Fraser was one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Then, he suddenly disappeared. If you were a kid in the late '90s and early '00s, chances are you saw a Brendan Fraser movie. The comedy and action star catapulted to fame behind blockbusters like "The Mummy" franchise, "George of the Jungle," "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," and the Oscar-winning film "Crash."
But after 2008, he largely disappeared from major starring roles — until his recent resurgence in the Oscar-winning film, The Whale.
His lengthy absence wasn't due to drugs, a sex-scandal, or illness — despite memes and even reported articles speculating about his career arc, with many blaming it on poor career choices.
Fraser revealed in a recent interview that an incident of sexual harassment led him to withdraw from his high-profile lifestyle.
Brendan Fraser has revived his career in recent years — good for him.By Pietro Luca Cassarino/Wikimedia Comons
Lately, the actor has gradually returned to more high-profile roles, and in turn, to his status as a beloved fan favorite.
In a 2018 interview with GQ, he explained that the real reason he stepped back from the spotlight was because of being physically groped by Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
In his own book, Berk admitted to "pinching" Fraser in the buttocks after an event, but Fraser says the incident was much worse. "His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around."
"I felt ill. I felt like a little kid," he told GQ. "I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry."
Not only did the traumatic incident cause him to withdraw from the acting world, he also felt that his initial complaint had contributed to him being "blacklisted" in Hollywood:
""I don't know if this curried disfavor with the group, with the HFPA. But the silence was deafening," he said.
He said it's time to speak out, and other male victims of harassment are supporting him.
Berk has called the allegation a "total fabrication" but acknowledges he sent Fraser an apology letter after the incident when the actor complained to the HFPA. Fraser said he tried to bury his feelings about the incident, but he was moved into action after seeing actresses and actors speaking up at this year's Golden Globes.
“Am I still frightened? Absolutely. Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely."
Despite his reservations, people seem to believe, and be genuinely moved by, Fraser's claim. Once the target of jokes, Fraser has become a catalyst for moving praise across social media.
Notably, he's also earned some public support from actor Terry Crews, who has publicly discussed experiencing a similar incident years ago.
"Brendan is amazingly courageous in telling this," Crews wrote on Twitter. "His assault experience is extremely similar to mine — ending with the assailant explaining away his actions. One man's 'horseplay' is another man's humiliation."
Victims of sexual harassment and assault often face deep shame and fear in speaking out. Speaking out takes courage.
Speaking out after experiencing harassment or assault can be an incredible challenge, often full of personal and professional risk. Though the majority of assaults are against women, men face their own similar challenges in overcoming shame, doubt, and repercussions for coming forward and speaking out. When men like Fraser and Crews speak out, they help clear the path for other men to come forward with their own stories.
As for Fraser, he followed up his award-winning appearance in The Whale with a role in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, proving he's unwilling to let his assailant continue to keep him in the dark.
This story originally appeared six years ago. It has been updated.
