mood-congruent memory
the tendency to recall experiences that are consistent with one’s current good or bad mood
Mood-congruent memory is a phenomenon where a person’s current emotional state influences the encoding and retrieval of memories that are also of the same emotional valence. In other words, if a person is in a positive mood, they are more likely to remember positive events, while negative moods increase the recall of negative memories.
For example, if a person is feeling happy, they may recall positive memories of past events, like a birthday party or a vacation. However, if the same person is feeling sad, they may recall negative memories of past events, like a breakup or the loss of a loved one.
The mood-congruent memory phenomenon occurs because mood affects the organization and processing of information in the brain. Emotional information is processed in a different part of the brain from neutral information, and the mood a person is experiencing can affect the accessibility of memories stored in those different parts of the brain.
Overall, understanding mood-congruent memory can be useful in therapeutic settings, as it highlights the importance of considering a person’s emotional state when addressing memories associated with trauma or other emotional experiences.
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