Everyone knows the familiar feeling of trying to recall a specific memory but falling short on details like timing, location, and more. Why do some emotional moments feel poignant, while others fall by the wayside?
Experts at Newcastle University in England just received a £1.2M (about $1.6M) grant to answer this question. They’re exploring how emotional events influence the order and precision of what we remember.
The project, Quantum Emotions, will use psychology, neuroscience, and quantum mathematical modeling to understand how emotions can reshape and distort our memories.
Understanding Memory Through Quantum Physics
Temporal order — the arrangement of events in the chronological sequence in which they occurred — is what gives our memories structure. Yet in moments of intense emotion, like euphoria or distress, that sequence can get completely jumbled, according to Neuroscience News.
When we experience an intense emotional event, our brain’s memory storage systems are impacted, altering how both precision and timing are recorded. Traditional psychology frameworks fall short in understanding complex memory behaviors.
However, quantum mechanics is uniquely suited for the challenge of making sense of memory recall because it’s designed around the principle that sequence is everything. In changing the order of operations, results are fundamentally different, which mirrors the way emotional memories are stored and behave in the brain.
“This is an exciting opportunity to use ideas from quantum theory to model systems outside of physics, like emotional memory, where the order of events really matters,” said Dr. Jonte Hance, head of the Quantum Group at Newcastle University.
How Understanding Memory Science Applies in Real Life
Researchers anticipate that understanding the “math” behind emotions will have many clinical applications across sectors.
For instance, take a lawyer cross-examining a witness in a courtroom.
Human memory is currently the most fragile piece of evidence in the criminal justice system, especially amid traumatic crimes. A witness to a car accident may vividly recall the color of a vehicle (sharp precision), but scramble the timeline of whether the car ran a red light before or after a pedestrian crossed (warped temporal order). By building tools that mathematically map how trauma reshapes chronological recall, this project can help forensic psychologists accurately assess the reliability of eyewitness statements, ensuring that trials are guided by objective cognitive science.
The research could also aid in powerful breakthroughs for cognitive aging research and mental health diagnostics. It’s also not hard to see how it could be useful in audits, human resources, and tackling tough leadership challenges.
The Research Roadmap
As a part of the grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the researchers will collaborate with world-leading experts in Japan and Sweden, as well as host localized workshops and events to build a network of researchers in quantum cognition.
“We are thrilled to receive this prestigious UKRI grant, which places Newcastle University at the heart of the rapidly growing field of quantum cognition,” said Dr. Barbara-Anne Robertson, lecturer in Newcastle University’s School of Psychology, and leading the Quantum Emotions project. “The project will also push the boundaries of physics by applying quantum formalism to complex, real‑world cognitive processes in ways that have never been done before.”
Originally published by Inc. 5000