Glossary
Saying-is-Believing Effect
What is the saying-is-believing effect?
The saying-is-believing effect describes how telling someone about a subject can change your later memory or judgment of it.
How it works
In a classic experimental setup, people tailor a description to an audience's view. Later, their memory of the original information reflects the version they communicated. Echterhoff, Higgins, and Groll found that trust in the audience, group membership, and feedback about successful communication affected this memory bias.
Example of the saying-is-believing effect
Imagine describing a colleague to someone who likes them. You emphasize the colleague's helpful actions and leave out awkward moments. Later, your recollection may lean toward that favorable account. This illustrates the audience-tuning pattern.
Why it matters
The story you tell can influence the story you remember. The effect depends on the circumstances of communication; repeating any statement does not automatically make you believe it.