There’s a theory doing the rounds online that nuclear research experiments caused the world to shift into an alternate reality where Donald Trump became president. This might sound silly, but some people genuinely imagine it to be true. And to back up their theory they cite the “Mandela effect”, a phenomenon that supposedly occurs when large groups of individuals imagine something happened though evidence shows it isn’t true.
The name of the idea dates back to 2010, when many people on the web falsely remembered Nelson Mandela was dead. It was widely believed he died in prison in the course of the Eighties. Mandela was actually freed in 1990 and passed away in 2013 – despite some people’s declarations they remember clips of his funeral on TV.
Psychologists say these collective misremenberings will be mostly put right down to memory distortions and what’s often known as “the misinformation effect”. This is where information you learn after an event can interfere with the best way you recollect it. So within the case of Mandela’s death, the passing of Steve Biko – one other distinguished South African anti-apartheid activist who died around this time – possibly caused this misperception.
Despite psychologists explaining why such misrememberings occur, some people claim these differences arise from the movement between parallel realities, which cause us to recollect things incorrectly. This relies on the idea that inside each universe alternative versions of events and objects exist.
Numerous examples of the Mandela effect proceed to pop up everywhere in the web – with many individuals adamant their memories are correct. Below are three classic examples of the “Mandala effect” we’ve debunked.
The Ford logo
When the Ford logo, most individuals don’t recall or notice the flourish at the tip of the “F”. Some people claim this embellishment was not there originally and has been added. This is despite the proven fact that the extra loop has been a part of the Ford logo for the reason that early 1900s.
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Explanation: This occurs because our previous experiences shape our expectations of how things should look. So, if we presume something to be a certain way, that is most definitely how we are going to remember it. In the case of the Ford logo, most “Fs” we see on the planet are without the embellishment. So noticing the curl is surprising.
JFK assassination
Mandela effects also arise once we jump to conclusions without properly historical material. People continuously say the number of individuals within the limousine on the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy has altered due to movement between parallel realities.
And indeed, there may be a typical misconception there have been 4 passengers – two within the front and two within the back. But the automobile actually contained six people: the driving force, secret service agents Bill Greer and Roy Kellerman, Texas Governor John Connally, the primary lady of Texas, Nellie Connally, President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy.
Walt Cisco/Dallas Morning News
Explanation: The perception that passenger numbers have modified is attributable to photographs and movies taken from different angles, and ignorance of the automobile’s design. The limousine has two auxiliary jump seats, which remained in position when the automobile housed additional people – so the automobile could seat 4 or six passengers. The agents within the front seats and a partition often obscured the front two passengers from view.
Forrest Gump
If you’ve ever watched the film Forrest Gump, likelihood is you do not forget that famous line a couple of box of chocolates, right? Most people appear to recall this line as “Life is sort of a box of chocolates”, but in point of fact within the film Tom Hanks actually says “Life was like a box of chocolates”. Supporters claim that is evidence that we now have entered a time shift, with our memories glitching and recalling different versions from one other parallel universe.
Explanation: The truth is each versions of the road exist. Promotional material included the more familiar “is” phrase, while the film version actually includes the “was” version. The contradiction arises from the proven fact that individuals are unaware that different versions exist.
Ultimately, the Mandela effect exists since the web is a strong tool for spreading misinformation and other people will engage with material due to interest and intrigue fairly than concerns about accuracy and authenticity – as will be seen with the rise of pretend news and disinformation.