Off Topic: False Memories

I received an email yesterday from an HR industry person who I have met in person on at least three occasions in the last few years. In the (very pleasant and cordial note), this person indicated how he was 'looking forward to meeting me in person' at the upcoming HR Tech Conference this October.  

Yep, I'm looking forward to it as well pal. Maybe we can spend a few minutes reminiscing about the other three times we've met for the first time.

Whatever, I don't really care that much except I will probably, if I do meet this person again, play it off like we've not met before either, in order to avoid further awkwardness.

But the exchange made me think about memory more generally, and then, (since unlike my 'friend' who can't remember the three times he's met me before), I have fantastic recall, I thought about this recent piece from the MIT Technology Review - Scientists Make Mice 'Remember' Things That Didn't Happen. 

Check out what some of the weird scientists at MIT are up to:

Scientists have created a false memory in mice by manipulating neurons that bear the memory of a place. The work further demonstrates just how unreliable memory can be. It also lays new ground for understanding the cell behavior and circuitry that controls memory, and could one day help researchers discover new ways to treat mental illnesses influenced by memory.

In the study, published in Science on Thursday, the MIT scientists show that they can modify a memory and have a mouse believe it experienced something it didn’t. Susumu Tonegawa, a neuroscientist at MIT, and members of his lab used mice that were genetically modified to allow for certain neurons to be activated with a flash of light; the technique enabled the researchers to activate a memory that caused a mouse to believe it had experienced electrical shocks in a particular box, even though no such thing had happened there. “The process of memory is nothing like a tape recording,” says study co-first author Steve Ramirez. “It’s really malleable and susceptible to the incorporation of new information.

This is all kinds of awesome, and not just because it basically validates most of the premise of Total Recall. 

More from the MIT piece:

More broadly, neuroscientists are increasingly exploring human cognition at its molecular and cellular origins. Someday, this deeper understanding could lead to better or novel treatments, such as memory implants that replace lost memories or novel drugs to boost beneficial memory reconsolidation.

Implants to replace lost memories?

Memory reconsolidation?

Sounds like some great new tools for performance improvment plans everywhere.

But there is one more bit from the MIT piece that might explain that email I received yesterday from the guy who can't remember meeting me: 

Neuroscientist Sheena Josselyn agrees that the results imply that false memories are not as uncommon as many think. “At some point, we shouldn’t really trust our memories, because some things we remember happening didn’t really,” she says.

Ah, so maybe that is it. Maybe I am the one who has got it all wrong here and my email pal is right.

Maybe my 'memory' of our three previous meetings is what can't be trusted. Interesting.

I also remember a time when I had a full head of wavy brown hair too, I hope it doesn't turn out that didn't really happen either.

Have a great weekend!