In 2018, British researchers asked 6,641 people to describe their very first memory and how old they were at the time. Nearly 40% placed it at age 2 or younger, including 893 at age 1 or under. Yet adults retain virtually no memories from before about age 3. The authors argue these scenes of prams and cots are assembled from photos, family stories and general knowledge, then experienced as real recollections.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.