I just encountered some online chatter stating that a lot of Swifties who attended her concerts are reporting that later on, they have no memory of being there, and if they do remember, they can’t remember any specific details, and no, illicit substances were not involved.
Has anyone else heard about this? That’s creepy if it’s true. Now, this story is comparing the experience to things like people who say their wedding day was a giant blur, which is also understandable. It’s a big event and things can get fuzzy.
It reminds me a little bit of something like “highway hypnosis,” when you get so in-the-zone that hours of driving can go by which you have absolutely no memory of. I’m not sure the mechanism would be exactly the same, as one deals with overstimulation and the other is much more mundane, but I think both have in common a sense of intense concentration. At any rate, if you’ve ever experienced highway hypnosis, you know how odd of a feeling it is. I remember as a college student driving to Green Bay from Chicago and my memories checking out somewhere around Milwaukee and not returning until about an hour and a half later just outside of Green Bay. Disconcerting, to say the least.
My favorite songs and favorite artists date back to the 1960’s, which would seem to put me in the same frame as the OP, hostility. But when doing anything with my adult kids we listen to their music, and some of their songs and singers appeal to me. Heading this list is . . . Taylor Swift! Just listening to her songs I’d not be too impressed, but I watch her videos. She is VERY creative, very personable. (And, by encouraging her young American followers to register and vote, she may be a Hero!)
I’ve read many magazine articles that claim that the brain tags memories in several ways. One way is to tag them according to the emotions you’re experiencing. The process of recall uses the tags, and therefore it’s easier to call up memories when you’re in a similar emotional state and harder to call them up if you’re not.
I’d imagine people don’t regularly stay in an Attending A Taylor Swift Concert emotional state. This is why people take photos and buy t-shirts.