The “reminiscence bump” and why we remember some moments forever

Maybe it's the sheer number of "firsts" – that unforgettable first kiss, the first taste of freedom on a solo trip, the electric energy of your first concert. These novel experiences, happening as we're shaping our identities, create powerful, lasting imprints, according to numerous psychological studies. 

Next time you find yourself fondly reminiscing about your "salad days", know that it's not just nostalgia: it's a so-called psychological phenomenon called the "reminiscence bump" at play, keeping those good times alive in your mind.

What is the reminiscence bump?

First identified by psychologists David C Rubin, Steven E Wetzler and Raymond D Nebes in 1986, the reminiscence bump refers to a fascinating peak in our personal narrative, which stands out against the gradually fading memories of other life stages. Their influential study demonstrated that older adults (typically aged 40 and over) have a special spotlight for their young adult years, making the events feel particularly significant – even decades later. 

Further research also found that the reminiscence bump isn't just about recalling events. Our memories from this period are also rich in emotional detail, with researchers Holbrook and Schindler noting the following in 1989: “In particular, the music people listened to in their late adolescence and early adulthood, which is an important phase in identity formation, has significant personal meanings during later life stages.”

The tunes, trends, and slang from those years can instantly flood us with emotions. It's like we're right back there, reliving the moments. These triggers are a powerful reminder of how those early, formative experiences shaped our ongoing life story.

How the reminiscence bump affects us at different ages

But, what specifically is it about our teens and twenties that make the memories so vivid? Why don't we remember our childhood with the same clarity?

The answer is partly because our brain structures, including the hippocampus, are still developing in early childhood. However, psychologist Dan McAdams also believes we start building our personal stories in adolescence to keep up with society's expectations. "Parents, teachers, siblings, friends, college admissions counsellors, the business world, the media and many other aspects of modern society explicitly and implicitly urge adolescents and young adults to 'get a life’,” he says. “It is time to make some decisions about the future, about school, the armed services, work and  – for some – marriage and family." 

This external pressure to "get a life", coupled with the developmental shifts of puberty, leads many of us to realise we don’t know what we are now, but we’re no longer what we were. It's in this space of questioning that we actively begin to shape our identities in early adulthood and begin creating the experiences that become permanently etched in our memories.

Later, as we hit middle age, McAdams believes a fascinating transformation occurs. Instead of simply remembering the good times, we actively re-examine those earlier memories through our present-day lens. This is often driven by the urge to measure how far we've come in life and gather the wisdom we want to pass down to future generations. 

Revisiting our reminiscence bumps becomes less about keeping a perfect historical record and more about constructing a narrative that makes sense to our current and future selves. The past isn't more valuable in itself; it's more about its effect on us in the present day. 

Interestingly, something else comes into play as we age. The recency effect means that more recent experiences tend to be easily recalled – subtly shaping how we frame even those potent earlier memories within our ongoing life story.

Ultimately, across our lifespan, we progress from the limited memory of our early years to the vivid identity-building of young adulthood and, finally, to the reflective reshaping of those powerful memories in later life.

How photo memories enhance the reminiscence bump

When many of us were younger, living in the days when it was the done thing to take 50-plus photos on a night out and post them to social media, we weren’t thinking about how we’d look back on these memories maybe 10 or 20 years later.

But studies have shown time and again that looking back on old photos boosts our self-esteem and helps us improve our long-term memory in later life. Plus, it can help bring us closer to the people we shared those fun (if slightly cringy) moments with. 

So reframe this digital archive in your mind and view it as less of a source of embarrassment and more like an important chapter in your life worth cherishing. Pore through those old albums and prints and sort them into categories to help you explore your life’s journey. Here are some reminiscence bump photo story ideas to get you started. 

• Important relationships

  Gather happy photo memories of your friends, family and relationships from your young adult years. You may have lost touch with some of these people now, but looking back on the faces that made that era great could inspire you to see how they're doing, or at the very least, remind you of how much you’ve changed since they knew you. 

• The trends that made you “you”

  Find those concert, festival and party photos where you’re decked out in your favourite outfits and reminisce about the cultural influences that shaped your worldview at the time. Reflect on whether your fashion and music taste still resonates with you now, or whether you were bowing to peer pressure to fit in with the crowd.

• Life milestones

  Look back at your big achievements captured in photos, such as your last day of school, moving away for the first time, travelling, etc. Relive the sense of pride or nervous excitement in your facial expressions. Think about how far you've come in life and the lessons you've learned along the way.