A familiar internet debate about gender differences resurfaced after a viral TikTok claimed men and women remember the past in fundamentally different ways.
In a Dec. 16, 2025, clip with nearly 3 million views, creator @jcoulsworld1 tested a theory circulating on TikTok: that women relive emotions when recalling memories while men only remember what happened.
@jcoulsworld1’s video was reposted by a woman on X who agreed that differences in memory recall could be to blame for misunderstandings between men and women.
The notion that men and women experience memory differently sparked a conversation about how the insight aligns with other perceived differences between the genders.
While there is evidence that women recall past events with greater emotional intensity and report more vivid memories than their male spouses, others assert emotional recall has little to do with gender.
“Do you feel your memories?”
In a stitched clip, @mateomatato8 revealed, “I just found out that when women have memories, they feel the emotion just as strongly as when it first happened.”
@jcoulsworld1 put the statement to the test and asked an offscreen woman, “Do you feel your memories? Like, when you remember things, do you feel like that emotion that was going on when you had it?”
She replied, “Oh, yeah,” and went on to describe how there are times that she can’t quite remember the memory itself, but she can easily access the feeling she had when it happened.”
When the couple recollected a fight they had, she said, “If there’s a memory of, like, where you pissed me off… I remember how that felt.”
“That’s the big difference,” said @jcoulsworld1. “I don’t ever remember the feeling. Like, never. I might remember what happened, and even if we were shouting or whatever, I don’t remember the feeling of being upset.”
Commenters began debating whether emotional memories are in fact gendered—or just a sign of unprocessed trauma.
“What do men think trauma is?”
“I can remember the emotion better than the details sometimes.”
“Why is him not remembering the feeling low key ticking me off.”
“Um this isn’t a female thing. This is a basic human emotional response from trauma. It’s all ppl not just women 🙄”
@jcoulsworld1 Man I’m always learning and I love it. #memories #emotionless #men #women @MateoMatato ♬ original sound – Our Coulture’s World
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