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Emotional Memory Encoding

How mem8 captures and uses emotions to create more human-like memory systems

The VAD Emotional Model

mem8 encodes emotions using three dimensions: Valence, Arousal, and Dominance

70%

Valence

Positive ↔ Negative

85%

Arousal

Excited ↔ Calm

50%

Dominance

Controlling ↔ Controlled

Why Emotions Matter in Memory

Emotional memories are stored using just 3 bytes, yet capture the full spectrum of human emotion

Biological Inspiration

Just like human memory, mem8 recognizes that:

  • Emotional events are remembered more vividly
  • Happy memories decay slower than neutral ones
  • Fear and stress can enhance or impair recall
  • Emotions create natural memory clusters

The 3-Byte Encoding

struct EmotionalContext {
    valence: i8,    // -128 to 127 (negative to positive)
    arousal: u8,    // 0 to 255 (calm to excited)
    dominance: u8   // 0 to 255 (submissive to dominant)
}

Total: 3 bytes per memory for complete emotional context

Emotional States Mapping

Emotional Effects on Memory

1. Memory Strength

Emotional intensity directly affects memory persistence:

strength = base_strength * (1 + arousal / 255)
if valence > 0:
    decay_rate *= 0.8  # Positive memories last longer
else:
    decay_rate *= 1.2  # Negative memories fade faster

2. Memory Clustering

Memories with similar emotional signatures naturally cluster together:

Happy Cluster

Joyful memories reinforce each other

Calm Cluster

Peaceful memories create stable regions

Intense Cluster

High-arousal memories form hot zones

3. Recall Prioritization

Emotional context influences which memories surface first:

Current Mood Affects Recall
When you're happy, you more easily recall happy memories (mood congruence)

Applications

Therapeutic AI

  • • Track emotional patterns over time
  • • Identify triggers and coping mechanisms
  • • Support emotional regulation
  • • Create positive memory reinforcement

Empathetic Assistants

  • • Understand user's emotional state
  • • Respond with appropriate tone
  • • Remember emotional preferences
  • • Build genuine rapport over time

Hot Tub Mode: Collective Emotions

🛀 Shared Emotional Spaces

In collaborative debugging sessions, mem8 tracks collective emotional state:

  • Group Valence: Average emotional tone of the team
  • Arousal Synchrony: How aligned the team's energy levels are
  • Psychological Safety: Minimum safety level ensures healthy collaboration
  • Emotional Contagion: How emotions spread through the group

This creates a supportive environment where debugging becomes a shared emotional journey

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