Impact of COVID-19 Declaration of State of Alarm on Memory, Especially Among Young People

Researchers from the University of the Basque Country have analyzed how the declaration of a state of alarm due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected people's memories of that moment. Their study focused on understanding whether such significant, emotionally charged events develop into flashbulb memories—vivid, highly detailed, and confidently recalled memories.

The team surveyed 112 individuals one month after the lockdown announcement. Participants answered a questionnaire detailing the date of the declaration, weather conditions, their attire, activities, and their confidence in recalling these details accurately. The findings revealed that many respondents remembered numerous specific details with high confidence, indicating that the declaration of a COVID-19 emergency qualifies as a flashbulb memory.

Flashbulb memories are typically associated with unexpected, emotionally impactful events like major social or political upheavals. Interestingly, the study found that even though over half of the participants believed the declaration was predictable, they still retained precise and confidently recalled memories of the event, supporting the idea that surprise is not essential for such memories to form.

Additionally, the research examined how age influences memory details and confidence levels. The youngest group (19-29 years) provided the most detailed descriptions, aligning with previous research indicating that younger individuals tend to have more specific memories. Middle-aged participants (30-54 years) showed similar memory detail levels to older adults (55-78 years), although all age groups expressed equally high confidence about their recollections.

Interestingly, older adults reported feeling less negative about hearing the news, supporting studies suggesting that aging is associated with increased positivity and better emotional regulation. The findings contribute to the broader debate on flashbulb memories, highlighting that their formation does not strictly depend on the unexpectedness of an event.

This research enhances our understanding of how emotionally significant events like the COVID-19 pandemic leave lasting impressions in our memory and how age influences memory specificity and emotional responses.

For more details, see the full study published in the journal Psychological Research. [source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-covid-state-alarm-declaration-significant.html]