"Luke, I am your father". What is the Mandela effect and why scientists cannot explain it

On July 18, the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, after whom one of the most mysterious phenomena of human memory is named, could have turned 106 years old. Most citizens were mistakenly convinced that the politician died in the 1980s while in prison. In fact, the man passed away in 2013.

Scientists have found that memories can change under the influence of various events, distorting the real facts, Medical News Today writes. However, scientists still do not have a clear explanation of what causes this phenomenon.

The Mandela effect is a unique phenomenon in which a group of people remember the same facts of a phenomenon or figure incorrectly. Individuals can be convinced that they know the smallest details of an event that never happened.

The name of this phenomenon was first coined by author and paranormal researcher Fiona Broome. The writer claimed that she clearly remembered the death of the former president of South Africa in the 1980s, recalling the speech of the politician's widow and riots in some cities. When she found out that the public figure was still alive, she was sincerely shocked by the falsity of her beliefs. Later, she began to communicate with other authors and realized that their memories of Nelson Mandela's death coincided.

Scientists have found that the phenomenon affects not only human cognitive functions but also visual memory. For example, most Monopoly fans are convinced that the main character's image is a small monocle, which was never actually depicted on the cover. Despite a large number of experiments, scientists still cannot name the cause of the Mendelian Effect. Researchers are inclined to several different theories.

Confabulation

People are easily susceptible to suggestion and persuasion because our brains have a tendency to fill in memory gaps with information that is not always true. As a result, groups of people may have the same memories of a certain event, only some of which actually happened in real life.

Alternate realities

Some researchers, including the writer Fiona Broome, believe that the Mandela effect is the result of the combination of different universes. According to the scientists, people's false memories are caused by parallel realities that cannot be confirmed.

The Mandela effect on the example of famous movies

"Star Wars"

One of the most popular phrases of the epic Darth Vader media franchise: "Luke, I am your father," did not sound like it was remembered by most viewers in the movies. The main antihero addressed Skywalker with the words: "No, I am your father."

"The Wizard of Oz"

Dorothy never uttered the famous expression: "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Instead, she said: "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

"The Lord of the Rings"

In one of the most intense moments of the movie, Gandalf shouted to the heroes "Fly away, fools" before falling into the mines of Moria. However, most fans remember this phrase as: "Run fools".

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

The witch of the cult animated movie did not address the spirit of the mirror with the words: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" She said: "Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?"

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