By Have you ever been to a concert and found out afterwards that you can’t remember certain parts? This is what happens to some Taylor Swift fans. Here’s why.
Since Taylor Swift began her “Eras” tour in March 2023 in Arizona, success has not stopped accompanying her. However, there is a phenomenon that has also made an appearance at each of her concerts. A significant part of her fans suffer from what many experts already define as post-concert amnesia.
In fact, although the term is new, the phenomenon is not new at all. Many people often experience blackouts after experiencing emotionally intense events .
Being in a context where factors such as the stimulation of lights and sounds, alcohol and being surrounded by large masses of people combine, further increases this psychological reality. We explain a little about what it consists of in the following reading.
Post-concert amnesia: why does it happen?
Since Taylor Swift started her tour, many of her fans shared a common experience on social media. After three hours of concert and more than 40 songs, they could barely remember anything. The music , the dances, the singer’s dresses and many of the details of the show were shrouded in a strange nebula. What was the reason for such an experience?
Post-concert amnesia describes the reaction that the brain suffers when exposed to a situation of great emotional intensity and environmental stimulation . What happens is that, due to the high levels of adrenaline , part of the memories are fragmented and lost. This is a neurological condition that science has known about for a long time. We will describe it for you.
The difficulty in processing everything that happens
Many Swifties went to the concert ready to experience an unforgettable night with the popular singer. However, at the end of the show and discovering that they had noticeable memory gaps, what they felt was guilt and confusion. Why does the brain choose to erase something that is experienced intensely and happily?
Well, the first thing you need to understand is that this phenomenon is not experienced by everyone. It is a one-time phenomenon. As pointed out in a paper published in Psychological Science , emotions can affect memory in very different ways. Thus, while sometimes it can improve episodic memory, at other times it alters contextual or peripheral memory; that is, it is difficult for you to integrate what is happening around you.
When you feel a high level of excitement and happiness, your brain goes into overdrive due to the excessive release of adrenaline. This prevents you from processing the details of what is happening around you. However, total amnesia rarely occurs. Forgetfulness is always partial.
The strobe effect of concerts
Surely, when you start watching a Netflix series you have read the following message: “The viewer is warned that some scenes have a strobe effect.” Well, the effect of post-concert amnesia also has to do with the intense perceptual stimulation you are exposed to at these types of events.
Concerts, like those of Taylor Swift and other artists, play with constant elements of surprise. The large screens and spotlights cause continuous stimulation that, although experienced intensely, can lead to certain overloads. All of this hyperactivates the human brain even more . Likewise, exposure for three hours to strobe lights has a neurological effect.
Studies such as those published in Lighting Research & Technology indicate that this type of lighting, which uses brief flashes in rapid succession, reduces drowsiness and increases cortical arousal. This also tends to affect the quality of memory.
The term “post-concert amnesia” does not describe any clinical pathology. It is a phenomenon still under study. In fact, experts are trying to see if those who forget fragments of these shows can recover them later by listening to those songs more calmly.
Alcohol and drugs: the perfect combination for partial forgetfulness
As you well know, people go to a concert in a variety of ways. There are those who enjoy themselves to the fullest with a bottle of water, and there are also those who resort to some stimulants. Alcohol and drugs act as the most effective architects to blur the memory during a concert. It is a well-known fact.
This doesn’t mean that everyone who suffers from post-concert amnesia has consumed alcohol or drugs. Far from it. It just means that those who do have a higher risk of not remembering exactly what happened during that time interval. This is what Ewan McNay, a professor at the State University of New York, pointed out in an interview with Time magazine .
When asked about this phenomenon experienced by Taylor Swift fans, he noted that sometimes drinking alcohol or even consuming coffee can inhibit the storage of memories .
The human brain and why some have memory lapses and others don’t
At this point you may be wondering something very specific. Why do some people suffer from the effects of post-concert amnesia while others seem to be immune? Well, the truth is that each person has their own particularities and processes reality in a unique way . In the same context, each of us reacts differently.
There will be fans who experience Taylor Swift concerts with great intensity and enthusiasm. So much so that this level of neurochemicals ends up affecting the correct consolidation of the experience in the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex . Others, on the other hand, will enjoy it, but will process the event from a more relaxed and focused perception.
Memory is a very complex entity that is affected or enhanced by very diverse psychological and perceptual mechanisms.
Can this phenomenon be avoided?
It’s frustrating to pay a lot of money for a concert and not remember it afterwards. It’s true that forgetting is only partial, but what everyone wants is to remember every sensation, every detail and magical subtlety of what happens on stage with their favorite artist. So, can something be done about it?
You might be thinking of recording the entire show on your phone. This is a good idea, because the phenomenon of post-concert amnesia only occurs in live experiences and not when watching a show on video. After all, a screen doesn’t generate the same excitement. However, there is one detail worth considering.
Not remembering a great show exactly is a normal effect of having thoroughly enjoyed an experience . If you want to prevent this, avoid alcohol and try to stay focused, but keep in mind that this can happen at any time. It’s the price you pay for those wonderful experiences that music and your favorite artists bring you.