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By Chloe C.
As Taylor Swift announces her much anticipated Eras Tour concert dates, many fans are eager to get a hold of tickets and experience a night’s journey through her entire music career. From the lighting, sound system, visual effects, and impressive sets, many of those who’ve been to one of her Eras concerts describe it as “an immersive experience” and a “next level” show compared to her preliminary ones (McLaughlin). However, even as Taylor promises her fans an unforgettable audience experience, many Swifties wake up the next morning finding it hard to recall last night’s proceedings, suffering from post-concert amnesia.
Amnesia refers to a cognitive impairment causing someone to lose memories of experiences or information (“Amnesia”). Although pop culture generally depicts amnesia as forgetting one’s identity, people who suffer from this condition often remember who they are but have difficulty committing recent events to memory. Amnesia is usually caused by strokes, brain inflammations, seizures, or other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, people who suffer from severe brain injuries may experience permanent amnesia (“Amnesia”). Memory impairment amnesia is different from dementia as it is not as severe; however, it could lead to similar effects such as trouble acquiring new information, obtaining memories from recent experiences, creating false memories, and confusing the chronology of events.
People can be diagnosed with many variations and intensities of amnesia. A less severe variation of amnesia is transient global amnesia, which is a temporary episode of memory loss and usually doesn't lead to any significant perpetual impacts on cognitive functions. Dissociative amnesia is brief memory loss triggered by emotional trauma that can stem from PTSD or violent episodes in someone’s life (“Amnesia”). It is a rare form of amnesia and people who suffer from it forget experiences in their lives. Post-concert amnesia, a new addition to the list, is triggered by overstimulation of the brain that leads to temporary memory loss. Most likely, this phenomenon occurs at concerts when the flashing lights, loud sounds, and high levels of excitement combine to overstimulate the receptive parts of the brain which causes people to forget experiences during a concert (Steinberg).
Overstimulation post-concert amnesia is caused when stress levels increase due to excitation (Steinberg). When a person is excited, memory-related neurons begin to fire and glucose starts pumping into the bloodstream. The body starts to think that it is stressed, so it chooses not to waste energy on forming new memories (Steinberg). This chain effect leads the amygdala, the part of the brain that helps people process their emotions, to emit norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that indicates experiences filled with strong emotions to help the brain retain that memory (Steinberg). A little excitement can help something become more memorable; however, too much excitement can stifle the brain from creating any memories. The overexcitement on top of the immersive experience of the concert is what leads to temporary amnesia for Taylor Swift fans during the Eras Tour.
As the high demand for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour instantaneously causes fierce competition among her fans to see her concert, ticket prices rise and only the lucky few can get a hold of them. Given the substantial amount of money invested in the concert, the audience will no doubt want to ensure they’re maximizing their utility by making lasting memories of seeing the star in person. However, the phenomenon of post-concert amnesia seems to leave fans confused as they wake up the next morning unable to remember the full performance.
References
“Amnesia.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 18 Nov. 2022, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amnesia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353360.
McLaughlin, Katherine. “The Intricate World-Building Behind Taylor Swift’s Most Ambitious Tour Ever.” Architectural Digest, 24 Mar. 2023, www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-eras-tour-set-design.
Steinberg, Brooke. “Taylor Swift Fans Claim ‘post-Concert Amnesia’ Due to Bizarre Phenomenon.” New York Post, New York Post, 30 May 2023, nypost.com/2023/05/30/taylor-swift-fans-claim-post-concert-amnesia-due-to-bizarre-phenomenon/amp/.
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