Turgon on Nostr: The brain is truly fascinating. During the day, when we recall the past, it tends to ...
The brain is truly fascinating. During the day, when we recall the past, it tends to highlight our pleasant memories, filling us with a sense of peace. Yet, as soon as we lie down to sleep, it brings forth our most embarrassing memories, robbing us of sleep. It’s almost as if the brain’s existence is like a form of natural schizophrenia.
This duality can be explained from an evolutionary perspective. Our brain has a tendency to suppress negative memories over time and emphasize positive ones, a phenomenon known as “positive illusion.” This mechanism might have evolved to protect our mental well-being and to maintain our motivation for survival. Constantly dwelling on traumatic or negative events could lead to chronic stress, which would lower our chances of survival. By highlighting the positive, the brain helps us stay resilient, and this sense of nostalgia is further reinforced by the release of hormones such as serotonin and oxytocin, which enhance feelings of warmth and tranquility.
On the other hand, the brain’s tendency to bring up shameful memories just before sleep can also be traced back to evolutionary functions. The moments before sleep involve a shift to alpha and theta brainwave states, where our connection with the subconscious becomes more pronounced. The brain might be presenting these memories to process them, ensuring that we don’t repeat socially risky behaviors in the future. Especially before important days or in moments of stress, this might serve as a preparatory process, allowing us to learn from past mistakes.
Additionally, since moments before sleep or before an important day tend to be more anxiety-inducing, the brain’s focus on past embarrassing events could be an attempt to rehearse avoiding similar situations, even though in modern life this mechanism often becomes counterproductive…
This duality can be explained from an evolutionary perspective. Our brain has a tendency to suppress negative memories over time and emphasize positive ones, a phenomenon known as “positive illusion.” This mechanism might have evolved to protect our mental well-being and to maintain our motivation for survival. Constantly dwelling on traumatic or negative events could lead to chronic stress, which would lower our chances of survival. By highlighting the positive, the brain helps us stay resilient, and this sense of nostalgia is further reinforced by the release of hormones such as serotonin and oxytocin, which enhance feelings of warmth and tranquility.
On the other hand, the brain’s tendency to bring up shameful memories just before sleep can also be traced back to evolutionary functions. The moments before sleep involve a shift to alpha and theta brainwave states, where our connection with the subconscious becomes more pronounced. The brain might be presenting these memories to process them, ensuring that we don’t repeat socially risky behaviors in the future. Especially before important days or in moments of stress, this might serve as a preparatory process, allowing us to learn from past mistakes.
Additionally, since moments before sleep or before an important day tend to be more anxiety-inducing, the brain’s focus on past embarrassing events could be an attempt to rehearse avoiding similar situations, even though in modern life this mechanism often becomes counterproductive…