The Costs to Life Satisfaction of Impression Management: The Sense of Control and Loneliness as Mediators

Impression management, or self-presentation, prevails in our daily lives. However, whether it enhances individuals’ happiness remains underexplored. This paper examines the relationship between impression management and life satisfaction, and whether the sense of control and loneliness mediate this relationship. Using original survey data, we found a negative association between impression management and life satisfaction. In addition, the association was fully mediated by the sense of control and loneliness. The study contributes to the literature on quality of life by highlighting the negative effect of impression management in predicting individuals’ life satisfaction. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.