Shreya Baronia | Week 13: Hazy Pictures
Photo Credit: McKinnon, Melissa. "Purple Haze 20'X20.'" Melissa McKinnon Art. Web. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
As I try to think of my memories, I find myself remembering positive ones more than negative ones. Even my negative memories have a happy ending. This is likely because positive memories are not learning experiences like negative ones but rather reinforce existing memories. As a result, when I go down memory lane, I find myself gravitating towards my happier memories. These memories serve the purpose of acting as “buffers” for the stress people feel. The difference between the two types of memories for me is the feeling associated with them. Although negative memories remind me of times when I felt sad, I ultimately look back feeling nostalgic. The sad feeling is momentary and I can easily move on from it. With happier memories however, I feel a warmer, more content feeling inside longer. Although in both cases, I do not remember the specifics of the memory, what I do remember is the abstract thoughts and feelings I had during that time. For instance, a sad memory I can remember is when I drew on my favorite dress and my mom yelled at me for ruining it. Wanting to fix it, I sneaked into the room and cut out a part of the dress which I had dirtied. When my mother saw that, she was livid because that was unrepairable, unlike the writing I had previously made on the dress. After getting yelled at again, I wanted to fix my mistake and I went in and glued the piece I had cut out again. This time, when my mom came to look at the damage, she was exhausted and just laughed. I felt horrible but at least I learned not to cut up my dresses! A happier memory I remember is more vivid. I had always wanted a younger sibling so when he was finally born, I used to baby him all the time. One particular instance I remember vividly was when he was playing with a small bowl and put it up to the cupboard. I was having fun with him when he suddenly pressed hard on the side of the almirah and created a vacuum with the bowl (which I did not understand at the time), causing the utensil to stick on its side. I was so awed, I thought he had done magic! I tried it myself (though I did not exert as much pressure on the bowl) and could not do it. Surprised, I looked at my brother with a sense of awe and explained to my mother what had happened. In both of these cases, I felt very strongly, which is why I remember these instances so vividly. Other memories are hazier, blurred through the fog of time. But, I want to demystify them and walk down memory lane and remember all the things I did in my childhood.
Hey Shreya! I thought the topic of your blog was super interesting because I learned about it in AP Psychology recently. The idea of highly emotional memories sticking out more than mundane ones is scientifically backed, explaining why we remember the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows, but often not the in-between moments.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s super interesting that you reframe all of your memories to end in a positive manner, and this is something that I honestly aspire to do. Even my most successful memories are always accompanied by a thought of something I wish I could have done better. I think I’m going to start using your reframing strategy to think more positively.
Overall, I really enjoyed your blog and your writing style! I can’t wait to read more from you.
Hello Shreya! I found your blog post this week very interesting, because largely speaking you have the opposite effect as me. While you said that largely speaking, you tend to remember only positive memories as the negative memories are lost to time, for me, I tend to only remember negative memories as the positive memories are lost to time; although ironically, for the same reason, as for me my negative memories tend to be most influential lessons for my life. My only memory from my first grade year was one time when I stole a glue stick from my class, after which my mom forced me to return it. That event was a major lesson for me and since then I have never stolen anything ever. When I get later into my life, I tend to have clearer memories of the events, obviously, but I still tend to remember my many failures far more than my many triumphs. Once again, it is interesting to hear your perspective on this as it is so different from mine. I hope to read more from you in the future!
ReplyDeleteHi Shreya! I also tend to remember more positive experiences as opposed to negative ones because I felt more content with how the outcome came to be. Reading this blog made me realize how emotions are so intertwined with our memories and how detailed they are in our minds. I believe this happens because my mind holds onto happier memories that foster a sense of comfort. This does not happen for any sad or embarrassing memory as it corrupts my content mood, and that uncomfortable feeling makes me forget about all the details about that instance. However, as I reflect on those past moments of remembering how uneasy I felt, I definitely learned many lessons which still influence my perspectives and decisions to this day even though the details are unclear.
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