Listen&Learn: The Mandela Effect

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock

How groups of people can share memories that aren’t real.

Pre-listening vocabulary

phenomenon: a situation that is hard to explain
coverage: media reports of an event
insist: to argue persistently that something is true
theory: an attempt to explain why something happens
multiverse: the idea that there are many universes with different versions of events
influence: to affect or change something
individual: a single person

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:19 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20222″]

Discussion/essay questions

Have you ever experienced something like the Mandela Effect? Do you remember anything that didn’t actually happen?
Do you believe in alternate universes? Why or why not?

Transcript

The Mandela Effect is a strange phenomenon where large groups of people seem to share the same false memories. The effect is named after former South African president Nelson Mandela. This is because many people say that they remember news coverage of Nelson Mandela’s death back in the 1980s, even though Mandela did not die until 2013. There are many well-known examples of the Mandela Effect. Some people remember song lyrics or movie lines incorrectly. Many people insist that the famous Mona Lisa didn’t always have a smile on her face. This effect has caused some people to form theories about the multiverse. However, the most reasonable explanation for the Mandela Effect is that the opinions of a group can easily influence an individual. This can affect our thoughts, our beliefs, and even our memories.

Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub

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18 comments

English Club Indonesia says:

I believe that the Mandela Effect is real, but I have never experienced it. However, I don’t believe in the existence of alternate universes. There may be another universe other than the one we are living in, but it’s not an alternate version of what we have here.
ashley jensen says:

the kid from the home alone movies.i was a teenager and on drugs and remember thta my grandma tried to make his death out as something that would happen t me soon , th eberenstine bears , i remeb=mber learning to spell oit because the speling of my best friends name was simular. coke a cola , i have drawn that logo thousands of times , . honestly the list goes on , but i dont watch tv , i dont listen to the raido or news , i barely use face book once every few months to contact a friend, so how would i be influenced by other ppol i had never heard of the mandella effect, i had just been sitting in a waiting room and saw something on the home alone kid and could not belive he was alive , cause i saw thattmz special on his death , i searched from there
Abdirahman Hadliye says:

THIS IS THE SIMPLEST WAY THAT WE CAN LEARN ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
THANK YOU
Daniella says:

I have never experienced a Mandela effect.
Eduardo Cerda says:

These lessons are easy to follow and practice. Thank you
Ricardo Pajares says:

Thank you so much, the read is very helpful for me and improves my ability to understand it.
Dominique says:

Thanks Jaksyn
It’s short, informative and at my level (intermediate) so I’m not downhearted like often with a long article…
Abeer Amr Hasan Aldajany says:

1- mmres
2- PrsnaL
3-crctly
4-xpLnashen
5-fats ALevs
Fidencio Huaito Berrios says:

important..!!!
Zanet says:

These lesions are helpful, useful and fun.
Warm regards.
Abshiro ali warsame says:

I want learn languagu english
Caridadgomo says:

I have seen a movie of Mandela. That film was very interesting.
Anushiya Thanapalan says:

I love to get English podcasts
Mari Carmen says:

It’s really interesting to see how the masses let themselves be influenced by everything losing his stern identity
Eugenia Castro says:

Thanks.
Marcelo says:

I must say that this is a great way to improve my reading comprehension skills, thank you very much for that. Keep doing it
Reza says:

I’m agreed Aly’s belief. All texts are so good, so simple, easy, and helpful. I eagerly read them and learn so much.
Aly says:

I’m really happy with your help. Its exercises are so good and easy to learn. Thank you.