What Is Mood Congruent Memory And What Can It Teach Us?

Emotions affect how memories are encoded, which can impact the way we see the world. When we’re happy, we often focus on happy memories. Likewise, when we’re sad, we can often only recall sad memories. 

Emotions can also prevent us from being able to recall memories. This is referred to as the mood-congruent memory effect.

What is the mood congruent memory effect?

The mood congruence effect is when you remember something that's happened to you when the memory matches your current emotional state. In other words, you might remember sad memories if you're sad, happy memories if you're happy, and so on. This can create a tough cycle to break, especially if you're depressed because you recall depressive memories, which can lead to a more depressed state.

Understanding mood congruence

So why do our emotions influence our memory? Why do we remember something bad that happened to us as a child, but can't remember where we left our wallet in the morning?

Like with many human traits that may seem odd, the answer is usually that it was something we used for our survival back in the prehistoric days. Remembering an emotional memory can make us be wary of danger. For example, if we were thinking about fighting a strong animal, memories of animal attacks may make us think twice about it. These negative memories can prevent us from engaging in danger, while happy memories give us a feeling of comfort that encourages us not to go into danger.

How our brains encode emotional memory

Research has discovered that our brains will focus on emotional stimuli. In one study, participants were shown images. Some were neutral in emotions, while others were shown images of an injury. This study found that when people looked at the injury photos, they were more likely to remember them.

We should also consider the fact that our brains witness a lot every day. We live hundreds of days where little happens, and then an extremely emotional memory happens. It sets itself apart from our mundane lives and allows us to recall it better.

Emotions and the brain

The brain is a mysterious organ. There are many aspects of the brain that we are yet to know about, and how your brain processes and recalls emotions is something that is not yet fully understood. However, current science gives us some clues. 

We know there are two regions of the brain that may play an important part in processing emotions and memories. These are known as the hippocampus and the amygdala regions. Since they process memories and emotions, many researchers believe that there is some link between memories and emotions and that these parts make us recall emotional memories the way that we do. One proposal is that the amygdala helps to modulate how the hippocampus processes activity. This can influence how new memories are formed.

How memories are rehearsed and retrieved

Emotions can turn the events that happened into an entirely different experience. However, as mentioned, the mood you're in can affect how you're able to recall these memories.

If you're on vacation, you can remember other nice vacation memories better. It gives you that extra feeling of happiness to know that the memories you recall are pleasant and it enhances the vacation.

Meanwhile, a bad experience can create a cycle of sadness. For instance, if a relative dies, you may remember all the other losses you have experienced in your life, and that can make you even more emotional. Your mood really does affect what you are able to recall, and it proves that our ability to recall memories isn't neutral.

There were a few experiments to prove this phenomenon. One was the Clark University experiment, where participants had their moods artificially changed through different facial expressions.

When a participant smiled, they felt feelings of happiness. When they tried to make a fearful face, they felt fear. As it turns out, it is much easier to change one's mood than you might think. All it may take is a certain stimulus, such as a facial expression, that is associated with that emotion. For example, you may be happier if you look at happy faces, and vice versa.

This also helps support the theory that recalling certain memories depends on your mood. Subjects were able to get certain memories better, as they were able to change their emotions.

Fading affect bias

The fading affect bias seems to involve certain memories that we end up forgetting. This is when we learn how to forget negative memories and focus on positive memories instead. It helps explain, for example, why people romanticize their childhood. Many people may look at the past and think everything was better then and that everything is not as good now. This is because of their biases. The past could have been just as bad, but the memories you have make it seem better than it was.

There have been studies to back this up, too, with several finding that people could recall positive memories more than negative memories. The older the person, the more likely they are to recall a memory that is positive rather than negative. This is known as the rose-tinted glasses effect.

Not everyone views their past through this bias, but many do. This is why nostalgia is so easy to cash in on. People want to relive their childhood even though it may not have existed in the way they remember it.

What happens when you suppress emotions?

You may wonder what would happen if you tried to suppress your emotions during an event. Would it change how you recalled it? One study tried this idea. At Stanford University, participants were shown stimuli. Some were asked to suppress their emotions while others were allowed to be themselves. Those who suppressed their emotions seemed to have a hard time recalling the stimuli. 

The impact of suppressing emotions on memory

This indicates that if you try to suppress your emotional state, it can be harder for you to observe the environment around you and encode certain memories. As such, it's hard for someone to encode a memory and make it emotionally neutral.

What can we learn from mood congruent memory?

One overall implication, and what you can learn from all of this, is that emotions are important when it comes to encoding and recalling memories. It's quite interesting to know that, and then look back at your memories with a critical eye. How many of your memories are truly reliable? They may have truth to them, but the emotions you feel during the encoding of the memory can distort some key facts.

Implications of mood congruent memory in legal cases

This makes eyewitness testimonies even more interesting. Most of us know that testimonies from eyewitnesses are important in a court case. But when there is emotion involved, it can become a bit problematic. How do we know that a person's memory is reliable? The emotion could change a key fact that could incriminate or free the defendant. There is also controversy as to whether your memories can be changed through interrogation and other means.

Creating reliable memories 

In the end, it seems that recording your memories is the best way to have memories that are reliable. If you want to recall certain memories, you may also try changing your emotions. Think about your childhood, and then look at certain stimuli that change your mood from happy to sad, and so on. This will allow you to find some memories that you may not have been able to remember.

Seeking help for emotional memories and mood congruence

Sometimes, your memories can trigger intense emotions, and you may not know how to cope with them. In cases like these, there is no shame in seeking a counselor for help. A therapist can help you recall memories or learn to cope with them. They can also teach you techniques to remain rational and look at your memories through a more critical lens. A professional counselor can help you utilize memory training designed to target negative biases. Studies have found that this can reduce rumination and depressive symptoms. Therapy can also help you learn to reframe negative thoughts, which in turn can lead to having more positive memories. 

Benefits of online counseling for navigating difficult memories 

Online counseling, such as through BetterHelp, offers many advantages over in-person therapy and has been found to be just as effective in most areas. When you are focused on negative thoughts and memories, it can be hard to find the time and energy to travel to in-person therapy. With online counseling, you can receive the care you need from anywhere with an internet connection. You also are not limited to the counselors in your area.