congruent

Research suggests that what you recall is congruent to your mood. So for example, if you are feeling sad, you would tend to recall sad things and vice versa. That’s probably why when couples quarrel, they only remember all the “bad” things that the other party did.

Since my female owner is in a dampened mood these days, she’s obviously recalling only sad times in her life. One big “sad time” was the day she left Singapore to go over to Brisbane. She started tearing the moment she sat in her father’s car, heading towards the airport. The struggle of trying not to cry and finding out that the more you try, the more you cry is an emotional memory that would remain etched in her mind for a long time to come. Being surrounded with her friends at the airport helped to distract her emotionally but again, she started crying in the aeroplane…and confirming the observation that the more you try to stop crying, the more you cry (it didn’t help that her mother was seated next to her).

She wishes with all her heart that she won’t go through such emotionally distressing episodes again. With that in mind, she’s starting to feel apprehensive about coming back in July. For after reunion, there would be separation again, except that this time, it would be for a longer period. I wonder how my siblings will respond too.