The Mandela Effect is a psychological phenomenon where a large group of people collectively remember an event, fact, or detail differently from how it actually happened. It is essentially a type of false memory shared by multiple individuals. The term was coined by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome in 2009 after she and others incorrectly remembered Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, when in fact Mandela was released and later became president of South Africa, passing away in 2013. Key features of the Mandela Effect include:
- People recalling entire events that never happened.
- Having distorted memories where some details are partly or completely false.
- Several unrelated individuals sharing almost identical inaccurate memories.
The phenomenon may arise from memory errors influenced by expectations, social reinforcement, or the power of suggestion. It highlights how human memory is not a perfect recording but can be fallible and influenced by external factors. Famous examples besides Mandela's death include misremembered movie quotes, brand logos, or book titles that many people recall incorrectly. In summary, the Mandela Effect is a widely recognized example of how collective false memories can occur and persist among groups of people despite evidence to the contrary. It reveals interesting insights into human memory and cognition. If you want, I can also share some notable examples of the Mandela Effect. Let me know!
