Revision in memories of relationship development: Do biases persist over time?

Abstract

Partners often recall that their relationship satisfaction has improved over the recent past, even when their satisfaction has actually declined, and such perceptions appear to contribute to optimism about the future. But what happens to memories as the recent past recedes into the distant past? To address this question, data were examined from a U.S. sample of 53 newlywed couples. Every 6 months, spouses reported their memories of relationship change. After 2 1/2 years, they again reported their memories of change over these time periods. Initially, spouses recalled significant improvements over each interval, even though no improvements were observed. By the end of 2 1/2 years, however, they had revised their memories, recalling improvements only in the recent past. Such revisions have implications for research relying on self-reported relationship change and suggest a way for spouses to benefit from the perception of recent improvement while maintaining a generally accurate view of the course of the relationship overall.