The fading affect bias begins within 12 hours and persists for 3 months

Abstract

Research has shown that the tendency for emotional affect to fade more over time for unpleasant events than for pleasant events, known as the Fading Affect Bias (FAB), increased across 3-month, 9-month and 4.5-year intervals. The current study attempted to determine the temporal locus of the FAB using the data set by Walker et al. as well as two additional data sets. All three data sets showed that the FAB was present after 1 day and persisted for 3 months, even though the affective fading for initially pleasant events slightly increased over time. Moreover, the third data set showed that the FAB was present for events occurring on the test day. Although the results challenge traditional conceptions of the FAB as a healthy coping mechanism that takes place across long periods, they fit well with the Broaden and Build Theory of positive emotions.

The fading affect bias: Effects of social disclosure to an interactive versus non-responsive listener

“…In this case unpleasant events were rated as being slightly less intense (M = 6.03) than pleasant events (M = 6.3; x 2 (1) = 32, p<.001) at event occurrence. However, this is not an unusual finding in the FAB literature (Gibbons et al, 2011;Ritchie et al, 2009). In fact, the initial emotional intensity difference demonstrates the robustness of the FAB (as measured by mean fading affect scores): even though pleasant events had more room to fade in emotional intensity between event occurrence and recall, unpleasant events still faded in intensity to a significantly greater extent.…”

“…Research has also confirmed the FAB cannot be attributed to differing event age or ease of recall for pleasant versus unpleasant events Skowronski, Gibbons, Vogl et al, 2004;Walker et al, 1997). Importantly, studies also confirm that emotional intensity is usually equivalent for pleasant and unpleasant events at event occurrence, making the temporal locus of the FAB the emotional intensity felt at event recall (Ritchie et al, 2006;; although see Gibbons, Lee & Walker, 2011).…”

“…In most cases, the drop in emotional intensity is larger for unpleasant events than for pleasant. The fading affect bias is apparent as soon as 36 hours after events occur, and in some cases present after only 12 hours (Gibbons, Lee & Walker, 2011). The FAB has been observed after retention intervals of three months, one year, and four and a half years (Walker, Vogl & Thompson, 1997).…”

“…Studies into the fading affect bias often obtain written event descriptions from participants along with ratings of positive and negative emotional intensity (i.e., Gibbons et al, 2011;Ritchie & Skowronski, 2008;. However, research within the FAB literature has yet to examine the linguistic characteristics of such event descriptions.…”

“…. Previous research has established that event age is not a significant predictor of the fading affect bias (Gibbons et al, 2011;Ritchie et al, 2009;. Thus, although participants were instructed to recall events within a specific time period, the exact date the event originally occurred was not requested.…”