Funny stories forget, sad stories remember forever

Memories of sad events that are never buried can be recalled clearly, Canadian researchers said.

Previously it was hypothesized that victims of horrific events often buried painful memories in order to overcome the situation. But scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax have found interesting events more difficult to remember than grief.

"We were surprised to see such traumatic events persist as such, while fun events were quickly dissolved," said study author Stephen Porter.

Researchers interviewed 29 people who experienced events such as sexual assault or victims of domestic violence in the past few months. These people are required to describe in detail what they have experienced, as well as recounting fun events such as weddings, childbirth, prize winning or vacation.

Porter and the group re-interviewed these people after 3 months and again after 4-5 years. Based on a maximum score of 36, the average score of participants when recalling the traumatic event is 30, while positive events have a score of 15.

"I think it's easy to understand when those traumatic events are imprinted in our memories. We remember those events in the future to know how to avoid similar circumstances and find ways to live. better, " Porter said.

MT