Two months into her widely anticipated and celebrated ERAS tour, Taylor Swift's fans are slowly coming together in realizing an odd event happened in the wake of attending the concert.
They've forgotten it.
This 'post-concert amnesia' is being talked about on various social media platforms, with fans coming forward to share their feelings—often guilt—that they don't seem to have clear memories of attending the concert some of them forked over thousands of dollars to attend.
This amnesia isn't uncommon in the wake of highly emotionally-charged events says Evan McNay, an associate professor of psychology at the State University of New York.
The jumping up and down, dancing movements and super-charged emotions can sometimes signal to the body and brain that either they are at a Taylor Swift concert—or they have just escaped getting eaten by a tiger.
In this way, the amnesia is the brain's way of erasing what it thinks was a traumatic event, but in this case it wasn't traumatic.
It was a Taylor Swift concert.
Many people were relieved to know it wasn't just them.
\u201c@nypost ok so i'm not the only one thank god\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
It's all the sensory overload.
\u201c@nypost Seeing Taylor was just a sensory overload! Maybe that\u2019s why? \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
Many people talked about how it's because they were living in the moment.
\u201c@nypost It\u2019s simply living in the moment it explains that they got so excited the brain stopped recording memories, literally living in the moment\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
\u201c@Sheep_in_fog I\u2019ve hardly ever remembered a concert, there are hundreds of posts like this online from as far back as 2000s. When you\u2019re so focused on taking in the moment you\u2019re not really forming memories.\u201d— Sheep in fog (@Sheep in fog) 1685610248
Others attributed the amnesia to the high emotional state that Swift's concerts create.
\u201c@nypost when you go to a taylor swift concert it's like a spiritual awakening\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
\u201c@nypost This is true I didn\u2019t drink and the only way I really remember is through my videos\ud83d\ude2demotions were so high I was like emotionally blacked out haha\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
\u201c@nypost It\u2019s happened to my hence why I\u2019m so desperate to see her again \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
\u201c@nypost I remember 3 songs. That's it. Total blackout and I wasn't drunk.\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
Several people concurred and said they only remember half of any concerts they go to, including Swift's.
\u201c@nypost No alcohol involved and I remember half the concert. It\u2019s a true thing.\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
\u201c@nypost i\u2019ve experienced this at almost every concert i\u2019ve been to tbh i always black out like half of it\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
However, there were those who were incredulous about these claims.
\u201c@nypost how do you forget what songs were played \ud83d\ude2d I go to concerts all the time and I\u2019ve never experienced this\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1685476175
And then, someone brought up the elephant in the mental-capacity room: Covid.
\u201c@Sheep_in_fog Pre-Covid it still happened, but Covid has affected people, no denying that.\u201d— Sheep in fog (@Sheep in fog) 1685610248
\u201c@Sheep_in_fog Naah. Can't be that recent covid infection. Nope.\u201d— Sheep in fog (@Sheep in fog) 1685610248
Swift's ERAS tour will continue through early August.