Remember when Jon Lovitz married Morgan Fairchild on "Saturday Night Live"? "Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!"

The problem is that it never happened. (Lovitz's pathological liar character, Tommy Flanagan, told as many lies as he could, as often as he could.)

But if just for a second there, you thought you did remember Jon and Morgan getting hitched, you've witnessed first-hand how false memories start.

In fact, a new study conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom and Canada indicates that around 50 percent of people are susceptible to believing they've experienced fictitious events.

And that can have real-life consequences, for your health, relationships, and society at large.

As the researchers said: "[A] large portion of people are prone to developing false beliefs ... [And] distorted beliefs can influence people's behaviors, intentions and attitudes."

So how does a person protect himself or herself from falling prey to false information and believing what one hears is true when it's not?

• Stay curious. According to a symposium called "Rejection of Science: Fresh Perspectives on the Anti-Enlightenment Movement," held at the recent Society for Personality and Social Psychology meeting, curiosity will keep you open to new information — even if it contradicts your assumptions.

• Stay healthy. Sound body, sound mind. Keep your body and brain in top shape by dodging inflammation-promoting, artery-clogging added sugars and syrups, all trans and most sat fats, and any grain that isn't 100 percent whole. And get 10,000 steps a day or the equivalent.

That's the ticket to thinking real!