the university of hull conducted an interesting study. a group of students were asked to list their memories of various periods of their life. one in five students “remembered” something that didn’t really happen.
most fictitious memories "happened" between the ages of 4-8. for example, one student claimed that he played team hockey as a child even though his parents said he didn't. another student claimed that he had seen a real dinosaur.
nevertheless, many people confidently claim their memories of imaginary events to be true. according to research, fictitious memories are inseparable from human autobiographical memory.
not only that: every time that you remember something, your brain re-saves the memory, and the memory becomes less and less accurate over time - almost as if your brain is playing post office with itself - until the memory is more fiction than fact.
