Remembering our earliest years

I came across an intriguing article on The Guardian today that delves into why we can’t remember our earliest years. It resonated with a piece I previously wrote on this blog about my own first childhood experiences. While the age at which memories emerge varies across cultures, researchers have long been puzzled by why most people can’t recall experiences from before the age of two or three.

Sigmund Freud introduced the term "infantile amnesia" to describe the inability to recall the earliest years of childhood. Over a century later, psychologists are still puzzled by why most people can’t remember experiences before the age of two or three, even though those experiences shape our lives. While researchers once believed young brains weren’t developed enough to form lasting memories, studies in the 1980s showed that toddlers as young as two can remember events from months earlier. A researcher suggests that these early memories aren’t lost, but stored in the brain and become inaccessible as the hippocampus, the region responsible for memory, undergoes rapid development. This may explain why traumatic early experiences, even if forgotten, still impact mental health later in life. 

Interestingly, the age at which people recall their first memories varies across cultures. Americans, for example, tend to remember things from around 3½ years old, while Chinese people recall memories about six months later. This difference may stem from cultural values. Western cultures emphasise individual identity and personal experiences, while Asian societies focus more on collective activities and relationships. In New Zealand, Māori children recall their earliest memories at around 2½ years old, earlier than their European counterparts. Researchers attribute this to the Māori’s rich oral traditions and the tendency of parents to engage children in detailed storytelling about past events. Also, children who grow up in environments where parents ask open-ended questions and share stories elaborately tend to remember more from an earlier age.

While some people claim to remember things from as early as infancy, experts argue that these ‘improbably early’ memories are more likely shaped by photographs or family stories than genuine recollections. I find this convincing because my own family photos played such a significant role to fill in many gaps in my childhood memories. On my own, I remember very little, but seeing these personal images suggests that yes, I did this or that, or went here or there—creating a kind of false memory of my earliest years. And finally, memory itself isn’t fixed—each time we recall an event, we subtly alter and reinforce it. Although early experiences like a first birthday or first steps may be stored deep in the brain, they remain beyond conscious reach. Yet, these unrecalled memories might still act as a framework for later experiences—like the hidden foundations of a home, quietly shaping how we remember and understand our lives.

The Guardian story can be read here, while my own story appeared here. There isn't a Part Two yet.