Cognitive psychology research has revealed that memories of negative emotions dwindle quicker than the positive,II a phenomenon known as the fading affect bias. Because most of us prefer reminiscing about happy times, our cheery revisions grow stronger, while bad memories wither away, leading to a general idealization of the past. Declinism explains why one might thumb through old photos of themselves, longing to be nineteen and baby-cheeked again, even if they know that age felt miserable and directionless in the moment.
