We’re often nostalgic when looking at past events. Our memories focus on the fun times, the images are often rosier than they actually were. This “fading affect bias” is common, and psychologists have been trying to understand why the brain works this way. Charlotte Lieberman is a journalist focusing on mental health research for the New York Times and other publications. She speaks with KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian about why misremembering the past can make us feel better.
Journalist Charlotte Lieberman has discovered that faulty memories can make people feel better. Photo by E. Bauton.