Is the 'Mandela effect' real?

Andrew (No)

The so-called Mandela Effect shows how, as social creatures, humans are quick to take cues from one another, leading to the impression that a larger phenomenon is happening. The Mandela Effect is simply people with little information about a topic being quick to agree with someone else. The so-called Mandela Effect can easily be explained by blurry memories, inaccurate information, and a willingness to share in common everyday experiences. It can also be explained by simple extrapolation, also known as schema theory, where our brains naturally fill in missing information.

Fiona Broome is a thoughtful public thinker and talented writer, not a psychiatrist, neuroscientist, or sociologist. Her writing on many topics, such as ghosts, supernatural phenomena, and haunted places, is provocative and fun, but not serious science. Further, while there is a ton of peer-reviewed research on memory and sociological phenomena, there is next to nothing approaching that sort of rigor on the Mandela Effect. Believers often point to quantum fields or slips in timelines, while fun theories are simply not provable.

Oddly, the Mandela effect seems to center mainly around pop culture phenomena. This is highly suspicious and perhaps related to our current “meme culture,” where a single image circulates widely and can significantly impact the precipitation of an event. This is only becoming more of a problem as AI-driven deepfakes and other digital trickery increase. When we take in information of dubious quality and then experience memory distortions with time, it’s easy to see how many people could jump to similar incorrect conclusions about actual events. 

Elisa (Yes)

Is it Sketchers or Skechers? The Mandela Effect is undeniably real, but the question is, what causes it? CERN somewhat suspiciously claims it has nothing to do with it, but that does not rule out all other scientific possibilities. The Mandela Effect is not just mass hypnosis—it is possibly a sign of something mysterious occurring with space and time. 

While it is often explained away as false memories, this dismisses the theory that time itself may even be an illusion. If we cannot even accurately and fully understand time, then there may be mysteries associated with time, such as this effect.  

Moreover, parallel universes could potentially be responsible for this effect. Scientists say parallel universes are possible, and we might live in a multiverse. According to Paul Wagner, ‘The tried and true spacetime continuum that appears to be the backbone of our collective, three-dimensional, physical reality might have a ripple in it. It also may have produced a sister, parallel universe, which has birthed different scenarios, events, identities, constructs, and relationships.’

‘False memories’ may even be a cover-up for the possibility of a time travel experiment. Indeed, if this were true, mass chaos would ensue if the public found out. Perhaps that seems far-fetched, but the government has many classified experiments that have never been revealed to the public. 

Anecdotal evidence is sometimes the best evidence and should be considered when determining truth. From contrasting memories about Nelson Mandela’s death to people remembering King Henry VIII eating a turkey leg, the anecdotal examples are endless. Is it Jif or Jiffy peanut butter? Berenstein or Berenstain bears? These are not just false memories—something mysterious is happening with space and time itself.