Fake Happy = Happy? Residual Effect of Feigning and Positive Response Bias

Abstract

Residual effect of feigning pertains to the findings that individuals, first instructed to feign symptoms, later endorse those symptoms despite being told to respond honestly. We explored whether the same effect would occur if participants were instructed to fabricate positive experiences, such as happiness, by employing a simulation design that included two groups and two testing sessions. The control group received instructions to respond honestly, and the “fake happy” had a task to identify with an exceptionally happy person depicted in a vignette. During Session 1, all participants received the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Supernormality Scale-Revised. In Session 2, after eight days, all participants responded honestly to the Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences and the Flourishing Scale. Overall, fake happy participants, when compared to the control group, exhibited higher levels of supernormality (i.e., positive response bias) and well-being in Session 1. Hence, the instructions had an immediate effect on one’s self-presentation. Yet, the two groups did not differ in Session 2, indicating that the residual effect of feigning was not depicted, or was not strong enough to persist the 8-day period between the sessions. Looking within both groups, all participants significantly lowered their well-being scores overtime. Limitations and implications of this work are discussed.