'So when my wife remembers my smirk as cynicism, she is right: her explanation of the expression at the time biased her perception of it. But it is also true that, had she explained my expression as empathy, I wouldn't be sleeping on the couch,' said Halberstadt.

'It's a paradox,' Halberstadt added. 'The more we seek meaning in other emotions, the less accurate we are in remembering them.'

The researchers point out that implications of the results go beyond everyday interpersonal misunderstandings - especially for those who have persistent or dysfunctional ways of understanding emotions, such as socially anxious or traumatised individuals.

For example, the socially anxious have negative interpretations of others' reactions that may permanently colour their perceptions of feelings and intentions, perpetuating their erroneous beliefs even in the face of evidence to the contrary, said an UCSD release.

These findings were published in the September issue of Psychological Science.