A false memory is a recollection that seems real in your mind but is fabricated in part or in whole.

虚假记忆的一个例子是，您相信您在离开工作之前就开始洗衣机，然后回家发现自己没有。

Another example of a false memory is believing you were grounded for the first time for not washing dishes when you were 12, but your mom tells you it was because you were disrespectful to her — and it wasn’t the first time.

大多数虚假记忆都不是恶意的，甚至不是故意伤害的。它们是不与真实事件保持一致的内存的变化或重建。

但是，一些虚假的记忆可能会产生重大后果，包括在法院或法律环境中，虚假记忆可能会错误地定罪。

继续阅读以了解更多有关错误记忆的形成，它们对您和他人的影响以及如何纠正它们的影响。

Memories are complex. While you might imagine a memory as a black or white element, the truth is memories are subject to change, malleable, and often unreliable.

当您睡觉时，事件从大脑的临时记忆转移到永久存储。但是，过渡不是绝对的。记忆的元素可能会丢失。这是虚假记忆可以开始的地方。

False memory implantation

虚假记忆是通过多种方式创建的。这些都会影响内存的变化或存储方式。

It may be hard to know which of these issues caused your false memories, but knowing can ultimately help you understand why false memories are so common.

Suggestion

Inference is a powerful force. You may create new false memories with someone else’s prompting or by the questions they ask.

例如，有人可能会问您银行抢劫犯是否戴着红色面具。您说是的，然后迅速纠正自己说是黑色的。实际上，强盗没有戴口罩，但建议他们的记忆是不是真实的。

错误信息

您可能会得到有关事件的不当信息或虚假信息，并确信它确实发生了。您可以创建一个新的内存或将真实记忆与人造记忆结合在一起。

不准确的感知

您的大脑就像一台计算机，存储您给它的东西。如果提供不良信息，它会存储不良信息。您的故事留下的空白可能会在以后用自己创建的回忆填补。

Misattribution

In your memory, you may combine elements of different events into a singular one.

When you recall the memory, you’re recalling events that happened. But the timeline is jumbled or confused with the assortment of events that now form a singular memory in your mind.

Emotions

The emotions of a moment may have a significant impact on how and what’s stored as a memory. Recent research suggests negative emotions lead to more false memories than positive or neutral emotions.

Therapeutic memory recovery is controversial. Psychotherapy techniques, like hypnosis and guided meditation, have been used as a way for people to find suppressed memories. These memories are often traumatic, such as childhood sexual abuse.

These memories may directly relate to a person’s behavior today. They may inform their identify and relationships. This is called false memory syndrome, or the creation of a reality around a memory that isn’t true.

没有任何技术可以确定这些记忆的有效性，而科学尚未证明当缺乏独立证据时，回收记忆是真或错误。目前，恢复记忆的做法仍然是一种辩论的做法。

记忆不是永久性的。事实上,它的柔软和often ever-changing. Certain people or events may make you more likely to develop false memories. These include:

Eye witnessing

如果您目睹犯罪或事故，您的证词很重要，但不是结论性的。这是因为专家和执法人员知道记忆和回忆可以而且确实可以改变，无论是通过建议还是时间的流逝。

事件中的任何差距都可以通过您的记忆填补，将可靠的召回变成有问题的召回。

创伤

Research 建议有创伤史的人depression, orstressmay be more likely to produce false memories. Negative events may produce more false memories than positive or neutral ones.

OCD

个人强迫症（OCD）可能有记忆力不足或记忆信心不佳。

They may be more likely to create false memories because they don’t have confidence in their own memories. This often leads to the repetitive or compulsive behaviors that are associated with this disorder.

Aging

作为您和记忆age，有关该记忆的详细信息可能会丢失。记忆的要旨变得更加强大，而细节消失了。

For example, you may remember you went to the beach on your honeymoon, but you don’t remember the name of the hotel, what the weather was like, or even the city you stayed in.

The only answer or treatment for false memories is independent evidence that corroborates or disproves your memories.

Yes, false memories may seem quite real and even highly emotional. Your confidence in them makes them feel more tangible, but it doesn’t guarantee authenticity.

同样，虚假记忆的存在并不意味着您的记忆不好，或者您正在发展一种记忆障碍，例如痴呆症或Alzheimer’s disease.

False memories, for better or worse, are an element of being human and not having an impermeable brain.

错误的回忆并不罕见。每个人都有他们。它们的范围从小而琐碎，就像您的位置swearyou put your keys last night, to significant, like how an accident happened or what you saw during a crime.

False memories can happen to anyone. Some people may be more likely to experience them. The good news is most false memories are harmless and may even produce some laughs when your story conflicts with someone else’s memory of it.