People are likely to remember that an unpleasant experience was less painful or annoying if we believe that it has already happened and we do not expect it to happen again, according to a recent study by the Universities of Carnegie Mellon and New York, in the United States. However, fun activities are remembered as just as enjoyable regardless of whether they think they will do them again or not.
In a series of eight experiments, Jeff Galak and Tom Meyvis, co-authors of the study, exposed volunteers to the unpleasant noise of a vacuum cleaner or forced them to perform boring tasks on a computer, among other activities. Participants recalled that these events were significantly more irritating, boring, or annoying if they were told they would repeat themselves soon.
"The perspective that an experience is going to be repeated changes the way we remember it," conclude the researchers, noting that it could be an adaptive reaction through which people could try to maintain their mental balance by using memory to prepare for future challenges . Preparing for the worst could help people reduce their discomfort if they have a negative experience and allow them to have a pleasant surprise if nothing bad happens, they conclude in the Journal of Experimental Psychology .
