Psychology of Thought – Braxton's Workbench

Nadia’s Theme and the Mandela Effect: Why Our Memories Play Tricks on Us

August 28, 2026

I remember Nadia Comăneci. More specifically, I remember the music. That soft piano theme begins, and somewhere in my mind Nadia is suddenly back on the television. Montreal. 1976. Gymnastics. Perfect scores. Depending on your age, you may first recognize it as Cotton’s Dream. The whole thing seems packaged together so neatly that I would […]

Are Your Thoughts Really Random? The Hidden Patterns of the Mind

August 26, 2026

Every day appears, at first, to bring new thoughts, and I complain that everything is so random. Random. What does that word even mean? Random: lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern. Well, yeah. By that definition my thoughts certainly look random. One thought appears, another wanders in from somewhere else, and before long I […]