Here’s a little test: Think about some stupid moral choice you’ve made and would rather forget. (Don’t worry: You won’t be required to tell us about it when we’re done here.) Whatever that dredged-up indiscretion was, researchers are willing to bet that you’ve subconsciously chosen an incident from your distant past, or you’re unknowingly fiddling with your internal timeline a bit—imagining the indiscretion took place further back in time than it really did.
What am I blathering on about?
Well, there has been quite a bit of research done on the topic of self-image and memory as of late. And a new study from the neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology indicates that it’s very natural for people’s brains to maintain a positive moral self-image by nudging all the foolish things they’ve done back in time while they skooch their good deeds closer to the present. (Which is probably why our indiscretions are always “youthful” ones.) Not only that, but when we think about tomorrow and the choices we will make, we generally envision our future actions to be even more upright.
In other words, mankind has a subconscious desire to backdate its cruel, greedy or cowardly actions and move on to a better tomorrow. The average guy who steals or cheats will essentially be thinking, “OK, OK, I screwed up there. But that’s it. I’m done. From here on I’m getting it together.” And with time, our brains will even subconsciously create a doctored autobiography.
“We can’t make up the past, but the brain has difficulty placing events in time, and we’re able to shift elements around,” said social psychologist Anne E. Wilson in a New York Times article. “The result is that we can create a personal history that, if not perfect, makes us feel we’re getting better and better.”
These findings bring up all sorts of social and spiritual questions that I’ll leave to you deep thinkers to debate. But on a perfectly shallow note, I wonder if that’s why so many people like movies with happy endings.
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