Memory v. Experience
Has anyone caught this fascinating talk on experience versus memory on the TED site? This one is a bit longer (20 min) than the usual video I post to the blog. But the subject is fascinating. If you take a peek, you’ll hear from Daniel Kahneman, who is said to be one of the most influential living psychologists. He and his former partner, Amos Tversky, won the Nobel Prize for their pioneering work in behavioral economics.
Kahneman starts by telling a story of a guy who goes to a “glorious” concert. But at the end, there is a loud noise, that the guy describes as so bad it ruined the whole concert. Kahneman argues that the concert wasn’t ruined, just the memory of the concert.
“What this is telling us, really, is that we might be thinking of ourselves and of other people in terms of two selves. There is an experiencing self, who lives in the present and knows the present, is capable of re-living the past, but basically it has only the present…And then there is a remembering self, and the remembering self is the one that keeps score, and maintains the story of our life…Those are two very different entities, the experiencing self and the remembering self and getting confused between them is part of the mess of the notion of happiness.”
If I’ve piqued your interest, then hit play below.
I’m curious what photographers and artists would have to say about this notion of the experiencing and remembering selves. How does photography or the visual arts play into this concept and the cognitive trap of measuring experiences and emotions that Kahneman mentions (want to weigh in, Mike?) What do you think, reader? This has got my brain churning.
Saludos,
Megan
Memory, Happiness, Art and Photography, where to begin?
As a working photographer I often think about what a photograph actually is. In my view, all photographs, whether there is artistic intent or not, are simply a reference to a past moment in time.
What indeed we are referencing or experiencing by viewing an image is a past emotional response or a trigger to remind us about the real relationship of the objects depicted. A good example of an image that recalls the emotional response is an image of a loved one, while an image dealing with facts is commonly used in a court of law and is often referred to as evidence. Interestingly, each kind of image can also include both facts and emotional reference, but not necessarily.
One reason much Photography and Art sold at Art & Craft fairs to the general public deal primarily with landscapes, flowers, kittens and puppies and so on is that they trigger an emotional response to past positive experiences with the subjects depicted. Many people like looking at images of a pristine mountain stream or a cute puppy and the good feeling it engenders. When asked, viewers often report a similar reaction to looking at photographs as they would have viewing the actual scene.
This is because, in my view, we have much stronger memories of emotions than facts. The points raised in the Ted Talk from Daniel Kahneman are spot on while it raises a new question in how this awareness is used.
At HarmonyWishes we try very hard to think about the emotional response an image will have for the recipient, while at the same time purposely rejecting the obvious clichés I mention in my above example. By supplying images that combine with thoughtful quotes and inspiring music, we are trying to tap into that part of our emotional memory that brings us a sense of calm, comfort or happiness. In the fast-paced, multitasking, technology based world we live in the need to access a sense of well being is more important than ever. Clearly there is no substitute for gazing at ocean waves caressing a sandy beach, or the sound and sight of a flock of birds in flight, but sending a HarmonyWishes card and the joy it brings both the sender and recipient alike is a step toward being in touch with the memories that really matter in life.