Autobiographical memory is the “diary that we all carry about” said Oscar Wilde.
Autobiographical memory defines us. And because autobiographical memory is the
foundation on which we build our identity, we like to believe that our memories are
accurate, comprehensive and robust. Anything else would challenge our sense of self. But
over the previous decade, psychological scientists have shown that autobiographical
memory can be inexact, sketchy and frail. Various suggestive techniques can encourage
people to generate memories of whole events that never happened. And these illusory
memories are often held with great confidence, emotion, clarity, and vividness—but they
are not real. In this article, we discuss research showing that suggestion can create false
memories and change our autobiography
