The unexpected effect that using a ‘baby filter’ can have on the brain
How a ‘baby filter’ can unlock forgotten childhood memories
- New research suggests that adults can unlock long-forgotten childhood memories by viewing their own face through a digital 'baby filter'.
- A study conducted by neuroscientists at Anglia Ruskin University involved participants observing a live video feed of their face, digitally altered to appear childlike.
- Participants who 'enfaced' their childlike reflection recalled significantly more childhood episodic memory details compared to a control group who viewed their unaltered adult reflections.
- Researchers believe this phenomenon occurs because the brain encodes bodily information as part of an event's details, and reintroducing similar bodily cues can aid memory retrieval decades later.
- The findings offer new insights into the link between bodily self-perception and memory, potentially leading to new techniques for accessing memories from early childhood and assisting individuals with memory impairments.