Memory & retrieval · Memory Bias · Entry 160
Cryptomnesia – when you think you came up with something new, but it’s actually an old memory
Did you come up with a brilliant idea, only to realize you’d heard it before? That’s Cryptomnesia – when a forgotten memory resurfaces as an original thought because you don’t recognize it as a memory.
Where it can show up
- Creativity & innovation – you believe you wrote an original song or article, but it closely resembles something you heard before.
- Work & brainstorming – you propose a ‘new’ solution, only for colleagues to remind you it was suggested before.
- Conversations & debates – you unknowingly repeat someone else’s argument, convinced it was your own thought.
A practical countermeasure
- Fact-check yourself – before claiming an idea as yours, try to recall if you’ve encountered it before.
- Track your sources of inspiration – this helps keep record of where your ideas originate.
- Be open to correction – if someone points out your idea isn’t new, take it as an opportunity to learn rather than a setback.
