What Is The Mandela Effect? | Psychology, Theories, & Examples

Why do we all remember things that never happened? In this video, we explore the psychology behind the Mandela Effect. The Mandela Effect was first coined by Fiona Broome when she mistakenly remembered Nelson Mandela's death way before he actually died. This has created numerous theories as to why we remember things one way when they actually are another, including the fact that we could be remembering things that happened in a parallel universe. But is that the case? Or are we just being tricked by numerous examples of collective misremembering.

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[MindfulThinks]

CLARIFICATION: For "we are the champions" vs "we are the champions of the world", Freddie Mercury repeatedly says "we are the champions of the world" during the song, but he does not sing this at the END of the song. That is where we see the mandela effect. We all remember it ENDING this way because our brains are overgeneralizing and assuming that the pattern repeats itself at the END of the song, but it does not in the original version (although I can't speak for other versions). Just wanted to get that out there before all the Queen fans come after me :)

[EdgarLIGHTxX]

YOU TELLING ME THAT PICKACHU NEVER HAD THAT BLACK THING ON HIS TAIL??!?!?!

[swagstin]

WAIT WAIT WAIT SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT PIKACHU NEVER HAD THAT BLACK THING ON HIS TAIL AND THE MONOPOLY GUY NEVER HAD A MONOCLE?!

[jacobgreer]

I could have sworn pikachu had a black tail?

[DollfaceKim]

It's actually scary how many court witnesses recall things wrong and how prosecutors will fill in those blanks all the time.

[Lyshem]

How can so many people have false memories whitch are the same makes no sense.

[plalomo]

Actually the queen we are the champions got two version the live version says we are the champion of the world

[abagailmarquez]

Pichachu had black on his tail, i remember TRACING a drawing and there was black on his tail, i even gave it to my cousin and we both remember it had black

[no.]

You can't change my mind that Pikachu had black at the end of his tale. I don't care I just looked it up and he didn't, I'm not changing my mind on this.

[Whatsupdoc]

Then explain what the heck a hyphen has to do with Kit-Kat chocolate bar?!

Kitkat
Kit-Kat

[Phantom-]

In an extended version of the song, he sang "of the world" in the end but not in a loud voice. So the radio stations started to add that in. There is even video evidence of it.

[w.angel]

i had a pikachu hairband when i was a child and i clearly remember the tail having a black part cus i used to love touching it bc the black part was velvet (ik it sounds weird lmao)

[tjwrdjd]

I think DEJA VU IS LIKE A FORK OR GLITCH OR TIME STAMP FOR MANDELA EFFECT

[ciaagentgod]

The fact Pikachu didn’t have a black stripe on his tail is honestly insane

[ShinkuGouki]

I was in middle school back in 1999 and I drew a Pikachu with the black on the end of the tail. And this was when I owned Yellow version for the Game Boy. I couldn't believe the tail no longer has black and "never did".

[terrificlife]

4:55 I was rewatching the Season 1 episode 21 Friends and at 20:40 you can see the toy has a tail !

[snbruh]

Ok but how do multiple people remember the same thing?

[santiagojimenez]

The pikachu effect is probably from people seeing pichu

[randomami]

Some food for thought: I’ve experienced some, not all, the effects. I was born and lived in a foreign country before I came to US, so the Berenstein Bears and Shazam are two I cant opine with certainty. But I grew up playing the Spanish version of Monopoly, and it’s clear in my mind he had a monocle.
About Forrest Gump, the confusion may be because when he says “was like a box of chocolate” is the beginning of the movie, but the movie is chronologically backward. FG is talking in present time about his past and what his mother used to say. The last 2 times we hear the phrase during the movie (sequence), is said by his mother before dying so she says “IS like a box of chocolate” because she is talking in present time. So what got fixed on our mind was the “is” not the “was”.

[sidrabatul]

*I am still upset Monopoly did not have that glass Circle around his eye. Also that George did not have a tail.*