Adults could recall long-forgotten childhood memories simply by viewing their own face through a digital “baby filter”, according to new research. Fifty participants took part in a study in which they observed a live video feed of their own face, digitally altered to appear childlike. As participants moved, the on-screen face mirrored their actions, creating a strong sense that the youthful face was their own, while a control group saw their unaltered adult reflection.
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After the session, participants completed an autobiographical memory interview, recalling events from both their childhood and the past year. Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge found that those who embodied their childlike face recollected more childhood episodic memory details than those who viewed their adult face. The study did not, however, measure how closely participants felt the morphed face resembled their actual childhood appearance.
Lead author Dr Utkarsh Gupta, now a cognitive neuroscience research fellow at the University of North Dakota, explained that memories are encoded not only from external experiences but also through bodily perception. “Temporary changes to the bodily self, such as embodying a childlike version of one’s face, can enhance access to childhood memories,” he said. Researchers suggest that reintroducing similar bodily cues may help retrieve memories, even decades later.
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Senior author Professor Jane Aspell of Anglia Ruskin University added that their findings highlight a link between the bodily self and autobiographical memory. “By helping people experience aspects of their childhood body again, we can facilitate recall of memories from that time,” she said. The team believes that more sophisticated body illusions could eventually be used to unlock memories from different life stages, and may even support memory recall in those with impairments. The research is published in Scientific Reports.
