GOING to see Beyoncé perform live should be one of the most memorable nights of your life.
But fans attending her Renaissance tour are suffering bouts of “post-concert amnesia” due to a bizarre phenomenon.
PABeyoncé performing on stage in London during her Renaissance tour[/caption]
GettyFans of the singer may experience ‘post-concert amnesia’[/caption]
It turns out being mega excited about a show can cause memory loss, meaning large chunks of the night might be missing days later.
Scientists put it down to your stress levels rising, which happens when your emotions are heightened – positively or negatively.
This tells the neurones associated with memory in your brain to fire aimlessly.
The body believes it may be under attack and chooses not to waste its energy on forming new memories.
Dr Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist at Cardiff University, told the Daily Mail: “If you’re at a concert of someone you love, surrounded by thousands of very excited other people, listening to music you’ve got established emotional links to, that’s going to be a lot of emotion happening to you at one time.
“As well as being exhausting for the brain, it’s going to mean all the things you experience will have a high emotional quality, which means nothing ‘stands out,’ and that’s important if you want to retrieve a memory later.”
And it’s not just reserved for gigs.
Ewan McNay, associate psychology professor at the State University of New York, told TIME magazine: “This is not a concert-specific phenomenon – it can happen any time you’re in a highly emotional state.
“Too much excitement pushes you over the edge in terms of memory formation, and you’re unable to make memories.”
So it applies to weddings, sports matches and even holidays.
But Robert Kraft, a professor of cognitive psychology at Otterbein University in Ohio, thinks it’s not all bad.
He said not remembering a performance minute by minute means you were likely living in the moment.
“We don’t set out to remember our lives — we set out to experience them,” he added.
“Not remembering is actually a tribute to being in the moment and enjoying it.”
SENSORY OVERLOAD
Taylor Swift fans claim they experienced the phenomenon first-hand after watching the pop star perform earlier this month.
Jenna Tocatilan, from New York, said she had dreamed about seeing the singer, 33, for so long that it was difficult to grasp what was reality.
The 25-year-old, who chalked it up to sensory overload, said: “Post-concert amnesia is real.
“If I didn’t have the five-minute video my friend kindly took of me jamming [to a surprise song], I probably would have told everyone that it didn’t happen.”
Nicole Booz, 32, who saw Swift in Philadelphia, said being there felt like an “out of body experience” that “didn’t really happen to me”.
She added: “Yet I know it did, because my bank account took a $950 hit to cover the ticket.”
Some supporters said the concerts had such an impact they thought there was some other power at play.
“Taylor could be casting spells at her concert – people say Beyoncé is doing the same,” one said.
If you want to increase your chances of remembering the night, you can try to achieve a “semi-meditative state”.
This involves telling yourself to chill out, or committing to standing still, according to Dr Kraft.
GettyTaylor Swift on stage in New Jersey during The Eras Tour[/caption] Read More