Parallel Universes and the Mandela Effect: A Dummy’s Guide To It All

Before I begin any sort of deep-dive into the topic of parallel universes, it’s only right that I preface the fact that I failed high school Physics (okay I got an 80 but the point still stands—I know next to nothing about science).

The conspiracy theory of parallel universes isn’t like regular theories that center around pure suspicion. Some physicists reason that because of the way our universe came to be, parallel universes are more likely to exist than not. From what I could gather (and understand), I present to you all the evidence behind the possibility of parallel universes, through a dummy’s guide to space.

First we begin with how we all came to be: The Big Bang. Around 13.7 billion years ago, the universe that we know was a singular, tiny object. According to the Big Bang Theory, that tiny object then exploded and began to spread in all directions, faster than the speed of light. It grew to be 10²⁶ it’s original size in a process called cosmic inflation. Because we’re only able to see so much of space due to the fact that objects are literally lightyears out of reach, scientists don’t actually know where or if this inflation even stopped. Meaning, the universe could very well still be growing larger.

The laws of matter state that matter can only arrange itself in a finite amount of ways. With this being said, if the universe is still expanding and matter can only arrange itself in a certain amount of ways, it’s possible that another version of each of us exists in an alternate universe. Boom.

This scientific research is exactly where the parallel universe conspiracy roots from. It basically states that somewhere out in the universe, there are multiple versions of each person that exists in a different “world.” Every choice that you failed to make, was made somewhere in one of these parallel worlds. In layman’s terms, if you chose to go to college instead of dropping out, you’re in this universe studying for your midterms but in another universe, you quit school and are now a billionaire running a tech company out of Silicon Valley. Or more morbidly, if you survived a car crash here in this universe, in another one you died.

Is the person on the other side of your mirror just a reflection, or another version of you?

There are some holes in the conspiracy theory that frankly, will probably never be answered. How can this alternate version of you, still be you, if you are the person you are, through the choices you make? If this alternate version of you is making different decisions, how can this still count as you. If the scientific evidence behind the theory proves to be true, then every version of us will look identical to us because once again, matter can only arrange itself in so many ways. The philosophical aspect of this theory has to be dealt with later on (but again, it probably never will be.)

The parallel universe conspiracy theory coincides with another theory called the Mandela Effect. Have you ever remembered the spelling of a brand only to find out that it was never spelled that way? Or you very clearly remember a line from a movie but when you rewatch the film, the line never existed? Like the fact that Darth Vader never said, “Luke, I am your father.” The quote is actually, “No, I am your father.” That’s the Mandela Effect. The theory roots from the fact that a significant amount of people remember something a certain way than it actually happened.

Did you know Curious George never had a tail? (More importantly, what monkey walks around tail-less?)

In terms of where these two theories collide, the Mandela Effect “proves” the existence of alternate universes. It’s either the fact that these “mis-memories” exist in a parallel universe or that our universe somehow crashed into another one, changing small things as we once knew them.

With all the so-called evidence and research laid out, it’s still impossible for scientists to prove the existence of parallel universes using our current technology. Maybe somewhere in the future, we’ll figure out what could’ve happened with the date we rejected back in high school or if I would’ve became an award-winning Physicist had I just put in a little more time into studying.

Nonetheless, my brain hurts. This conspiracy gets a whopping 5 espresso shots from me. I’m one research tab away from having my Macbook come to life and yell at me. As always, let me know your thoughts. Do you think an alternate version of you exists? What decision do you think they made that gave them a better (or worse) life than you currently have?