Happiness This Way

The flashbacks and memory?

"The tapestry produced in our experience is not stored in memory, at least not entirely. Rather, it is compressed for storage, first being reduced to a few critical discussions … Later, when we remember our experience, our brain quickly weave the tapestry of manufacture – not reality-to recover most of the information we experience as memory. "- Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert, pg. 79. If this is true, is why people with PTSD may experience memories as if they were revived because if it is particularly traumatic memory, which stores all it or save it in a different way? Could this happen with happy memories?

Yes, they are probably more detail when experienced initially stored a stimulant or traumatic event. However, even these memories will be contaminated by the time and only a few key insights remain finally. But, I think these memories will be marked as special and will be the last to be completely eradicated from the memory queue.

Happiness: Two Views