REPORT: Lying on Facebook can change your actual memories!

One in five people between the ages of 18 and 24 say their Facebook page is a dressed up spin on their boring lives, and in some cases they can no longer recall what events were real or only social media fantasy, according to a new study recently published.

“Being competitive and wanting to put our best face forward – seeking support or empathy from our peers- is entirely understandable,” said psychologist Dr. Richard Sherry, a founding member of the Society for Neuropsychoanalysis.

“However, the dark side of this social conformity is when we deeply lose ourselves or negate what authentically and compassionately feels to be ‘us.’”

Young adults most often lie about their relationships and career exploits, the Pencourage survey showed.

The study complements similar findings by psychologists that skewing and embellishing personal stories on Facebook can affect the storyteller’s actual memories.

That confusion can then spill over into other aspects of self, like lowering one’s confidence and blurring sense of identity, Sherry warned.

“When this starts to happen, feelings of guilt and distaste towards ourselves can create a cognitive trap of alienation and possibly even a sense of disconnection and paranoia,” he said.

BUT there's some good news for virtuous/righteous Facebook-ers. An honest digital record can help keep track of elusive and impressionable memories.

“Studies show that memories are actually modified and less accurate whenever we ‘retrieve’ them from our minds, to the point of entirely changing their nature over time,” Sherry said.

“So recording our experiences through whatever medium, to later reminisce or revisit lessons we learned, is not only acceptable but desirable.”

Credit: NYP