Rosy past bias ("good old days" effect)

Biological Parallel

Territorial animals remember their prime years defending territory—'the good old days' when they dominated. But memory is selective: they recall victories while forgetting injuries, failed hunts, and subordinate years. Rosy retrospection: negative experiences fade faster than positive ones in long-term memory. The mechanism serves current strategy: older animals maintain confidence and status signals by selectively remembering dominance. Memory isn't archival recording; it's strategic reconstruction. The past we remember is the past we need.