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Are any of our ideas truly original?

  • whereemotionsflow
  • Mar 28
  • 2 min read

Updated: Mar 30

By: Chevelle Chiong 



Mark Twain famously quoted, “There is no such thing as an original thought”. Are any of our ideas truly original? Let’s explore the science behind memories mistaken as original thoughts. 

What is Cryptomnesia? 

Cryptomnesia is a type of memory bias in which a person unconsciously remembers something and believes that they have thought of it themselves.1(The Behavioral Scientist, n.d.) 

For instance, when writing poetry, we might unknowingly copy a line from our favourite poet, thinking that it is our own. 

What Causes Cryptomnesia? 

The exact root cause of cryptomnesia is unclear, but there are some plausible theories. 

● Source-Monitoring Errors: 

Cryptomnesia is a type of source-monitoring error where the brain struggles to distinguish between internally generated thoughts and externally acquired information. 

● Memory Reconstructive Nature 

Our memories are versatile and ever-changing. It is not a tape-recorder, but rather a reconstruction, where information from different sources are combined, potentially leading to forgetting the source (The Behavioral Scientist, n.d.). 

Social Cryptomnesia 

This refers to a situation where entire cultures forget the origin of social changes, leading to a loss of credit for those who made sacrifices to bring about the change. 

For instance, while the achievements of the feminist movement, such as women's right to vote and work, are widely recognised, the feminist groups themselves are often perceived as unlikeable or pretentious, and the process of gaining these rights is not recognised by the general population (The Behavioral Scientist, n.d.). 

How can we cure cryptomnesia? 

There is no medication or direct way to cure cryptomnesia. Instead, we can try to reduce the instances of unintentional plagiarism. When writing literature, we can use the plagiarism checkers as a good practice to check if we have copied from other sources unintentionally (The Behavioral Scientist, n.d.). If the checkers flag out a phrase, do try to change it or give the credit when it's due! 


References:

1 Cryptomnesia. (n.d.). The Behavioral Scientist. 

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