Standing Before Memory: Experiencing Memorials Moves Us to Engage With the Past

Experiencing a memorial can affect observers beyond making the events that are commemorated salient. The present research addresses this issue by surveying and comparing participants who were in the presence of a memorial to control participants who were not. In the presence of a memorial, participants reported greater personal relevance of the topics commemorated as well as greater behavioral intentions to engage with the past ( N Study 1 = 142). This association was not due to simply assuming to be in the presence of a memorial ( N Study 2 = 149) and replicated ( N Study 3 = 244). Our findings suggest that public memorials do not merely mark a place or event but influence observers to engage with the past and may affect behavioral intentions. We discuss the role of contextual factors, individual differences, and emotional responses, highlighting the need for further research.