Most of what people write on Facebook may basically be a fib

Scientists have claimed that most of what people write about themselves on Facebook was a lie.

Clinical psychologists have warned that 18 to 24-year-olds may write false events such as relationships and success at work as the truth and were at risk of recalling them as reality.

Lying or exaggerating about our lives on Facebook and Twitter creates false memories, making it impossible to tell fact from fiction.

Jealousy of other people's lives or fear of being seen as boring leads to two-thirds of social media users inventing or embellishing events, reveals new research.

Dr Richard Sherry, who has worked with the US Army, police and fire services, and conducted the study, found that 3 in 10 felt they "couldn't live up" to their online image and one in seven felt sadness or shame about their lies, and warned that social media posts could blur the lines between "real, lived lives" and our memories.

The poll was commissioned by the world's first anonymous online journal repository Pencourage which aims to preserve true life chronicles by allowing users to anonymously post 200 words every day to their personal journal.