Why Can't You Remember Being a Baby?

What's your earliest memory? Why can't we remember being babies?

With Special Thanks To:
Misha A-Wilson, Katrina Brogan, Michelle & Aaron Finn, Jeff Lee, Kent Zacherl, Steve Bradshaw, Lisa Pimlett, Matthew Russell, Saverius

Thoughty2 (Arran) is a British YouTuber and gatekeeper of useless facts. Thoughty2 creates mind-blowing factual videos, on the weirdest, wackiest and most interesting topics. Combining fascinating lists with answers to life's biggest questions.

[kizu]

After 1 year, you teach your baby how to walk and spend time with them, and the next 5 years you tell them to sit and shut up.

[CrazyKing]

I don't even remember what I did yesterday

[OBEYzALL]

I can't even remember what video I watched before this.

[elaineporra]

according to my mom when I was 2 years old I tried to lock myself Inside of a suit case

[Alex-gwet]

What if you can't remember when you were a baby because you actually never were a baby and the government is just lying to you

[killdavs]

I bet he only wears that tux shirt and no pants under cuz u can't see down there😂😂

[AmyraCarter]

Still images, mostly.

I cannot make sense of them at all.

But a field of flowers, and a sunset of brilliant pink and warm breezes...and my auntie's voice telling me to not touch that frog...

I have memories of two different, but parallel running lives.

[Asdabrands]

I distinctly remember, at the age of 3, being on holiday with my parents and grandparents. Ibiza, the less "alcoholic" part. This memory has been supported by both my parents, and grandparents. This memory? I was eating a raspberry jam (jelly) sandwich by the beach, in my buggy (pram). I got some of the jam on my cheek, attracting a wasp. While the wasp was focussed on the jam, I was terrified, and attempted to swat the wasp, consequently slapping myself in the face. This otherwise (seemingly) docile wasp, that to this point, had done me no wrong, was squashed onto my 3 year old cheek. In the process, its stinger penetrated my skin and caused the familiar reaction: Screaming, insufferable crying, and generally speaking, lots of noise. I bring this up because in this video, you make the claim that we develop the ability to form memories between the ages of 4 and 7. Now I understand that this is an average, but it leads me to ask this question: What significant (if any) advantages are there to developing memories sooner, rather than later? And my slightly tangential question: the rainbow twins are two siblings that have documented, and reliably testable, extraordinary memories. They BOTH have the ability to recall events in their lives with remarkable accuracy and from the age of, I believe (if my memory serves me correctly) 1. Would it be possible to isolate the mutation responsible for this ability and subsequently use it to improve the memories of everyone, and potentially reversing the effects of Alzheimers and dementia? I would be surprised if anyone has read this far, and even more so if I receive any answers to these questions, but I remain curious. And always, thanks for the video, thanks for the read, subscribe for more, anonymous420. (doesn't have the same ring, but you get the point)

[DsLink]

My earliest memory - It was dark and I was outside. I couldnt move my limbs and I could only look up at the night sky as it seemed to move back and fourth just a bit. (I must have been in a car seat carrier). As I was moving I saw these HUGE bright symbols and thats it. the memory stops but i now know the symbols were...K Mart

I couldnt of been any older than 1

[Silkendrum]

While in my mid-40s I was visiting my Grandmother, and went for a walk through a part of the city I had never explored before. I walked past one particular house, and when I looked at it, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a memory, almost slapped by it. No words, it was like a movie playing before my eyes. As I stood there I was mentally running up the steps, through the door opened by my gramma, through a living room with scratchy red horsehair furniture, into a dining room, where I made a hard right to a large piece of furniture. I opened the doors in the bottom of that, and that's where all the toys were. I remembered that there was a passthru window into the kitchen beyond the dining room. It was all so clear and detailed, all like a movie. I was literally stunned, so stunned that I didn't notice that there was an older couple sitting on the porch until the woman came to the porch railing and called me by my mother's name. "Mary, is that you?" I said no, that I was my mother's daughter. "Well, you look just like her." Things were getting weirder by the second.

I asked her how she knew my mother, and I told them about the vision I'd just had. It turned out that my Grandmother had lived there when I was born. And yes, the room layout was exactly as I described it, and yes, my Grandmother's china cabinet had been against that wall to the right. They invited me in to see the place, but I refused. Frankly, the vision had been so overpowering I was afraid to push it further. The couple conferred, and figured out when they had bought the house and Gramma moved to her current home uptown - Gramma moved out of that house when I was about 22 months old.

Now, that's an early memory. I think we all might be capable of early memories if we just get the right trigger.

[MaTTzZk]

4-7 my ass, I have a memory from when I was 3 :/

[shashanklaur]

Are memories stored with the help of language?

[sitiaishah]

Bitches be like pfft I remember floating in my mother's womb

[cemjamal]

I have a Theory.The reason we dont remember our childhood because that was the time we were being prepared for the simulation(a.k.a. The matrix).

[Freshman]

Damn wtf I can't even remember what I ate yesterday for breakfast

[husseinallaw]

who ever is reading this have a good day/night

[MusicForKidsWorld]

I remember things when I was 2. My parents even told me I was 2

[Hinapen]

I was about a year old when my earliest bits of memory started kicking in. From 1-3, I have pretty strong memories ranging from the of places my Mom and I moved around to, wanting out of the crib (but not having the means to communicate this desire other than whining) and some events where I had to go to the ER. I also remember going to the park.

At about 4, I can remember watching the other kids go to school in the morning. I was so upset that I wasn't old enough to attend.

[vapenord]

I'm twelve and I'm still waiting for a memory :(

[blaccbeard]

I was born with a full beard. I remember my first shave at 3 weeks old.