Finding positive meaning in memories of negative events adaptively updates memory

Megan E Speer,Mauricio R Delgado,Sandra Ibrahim,Daniela Schiller

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26906-4

Abstract

Finding positive meaning in past negative memories is associated with enhanced mental health. Yet it remains unclear whether it leads to updates in the memory representation itself. Since memory can be labile after retrieval, this leaves the potential for modification whenever its reactivated. Across four experiments, we show that positively reinterpreting negative memories adaptively updates them, leading to the re-emergence of positivity at future retrieval. Focusing on the positive aspects after negative recall leads to enhanced positive emotion and changes in memory content during recollection one week later, remaining even after two months. Consistent with a reactivation-induced reconsolidation account, memory updating occurs only after a reminder and twenty four hours, but not a one hour delay. Multi-session fMRI showed adaptive updates are reflected in greater hippocampal and ventral striatal pattern dissimilarity across retrievals. This research highlights the mechanisms by which updating of maladaptive memories occurs through a positive emotion-focused strategy.

Highlights

Finding positive meaning in past negative memories is associated with enhanced mental health
This may involve neural systems associated with updating the content and affect associated with a memory, such as hippocampus, which mediates neural reinstatement of episodic events leading to successful remembering[12], and the ventral striatum (VS) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC)—reward-related circuitry associated with the subjective value and positivity of recollection[13]
The present research asked whether positive meaning finding can update negative autobiographical memories with positive content, subsequently changing how we feel, what we remember, and how memory is represented in the brain across time

Summary

Introduction

Finding positive meaning in past negative memories is associated with enhanced mental health. Focusing on the bright side (e.g., learning better study skills) of a past negative memory (e.g., failing an exam) could lead to the updating and re-emergence of positivity the time the memory is retrieved, in turn lessening the experience of negative emotion at future recollections, which may be observable in its neural representation across time This may involve neural systems associated with updating the content and affect associated with a memory, such as hippocampus, which mediates neural reinstatement of episodic events leading to successful remembering[12], and the ventral striatum (VS) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC)—reward-related circuitry associated with the subjective value and positivity of recollection[13]. This research highlights the mechanisms by which updating of maladaptive memories occurs through a positive emotion-focused strategy, which may promote wellbeing and resilience to adversity

Methods

Results

Conclusion