A Research Proposal for Correcting Happiness Misperceptions on Social Media

Social media has seamlessly integrated into people's everyday lives, providing a platform for communication and emotional expression. However, social media often presents a distorted reality, with users showcasing primarily positive experiences and emotions while concealing negative aspects. This phenomenon contributes to misperceptions of happiness, leading to feelings of inadequacy and social comparison. Understanding emotions and their manifestations on social media is crucial for comprehending human communication and interactions. Happiness, as a significant emotion, influences well-being, social connections, and physical health outcomes. This research aims to address misperceptions of happiness on social media through innovative design interventions. By leveraging theories such as Social Comparison Theory and Theory of Mind, the research proposes corrective measures like emotion labelling tools, mindfulness prompts, and social comparison reminders to foster authentic communication. A mixed-methods approach will be employed, including surveys, and user experience experiments to test functionality and usability of these methods implemented, to understand users' perceptions and develop effective correction factors. Ultimately, the research seeks to improve emotional authenticity, social interactions, and mental well-being on social media platforms.