How happy do you think you would be if the candidate you supported won an election? Do you think you would accurately remember your level of happiness if you recalled it several months later? Chances are good that bias in the memory process would alter your recollection of your previous happiness. Indeed, 4 months after they heard the outcome of the 2000 presidential election, supporters of Bush (left) overestimated how happy they were, whereas supporters of Gore (right) underestimated how happy they were.

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES and DOUG MILLS/AP PHOTO