Downward Comparisons in Daily Life with Chronic Pain: Dynamic Relations with Pain Intensity and Mood

Abstract

We used a daily process methodology and a sample of 89 women with chronic fibromyalgia pain to study the dynamic relations between pain, mood, and reminding oneself of downward social and temporal comparisons. Three times a day for 30 days, participants answered palm-top computer “electronic interviews” about their pain intensity, pleasant mood, and unpleasant mood. Each night, they reported the extent of that day's tendency to remind themselves that their current pain was not as severe as it is for others (i.e., a downward social comparison), and that their current pain was not as severe as it had been at an earlier time (i.e., a downward temporal comparison). Random effects within-person regression analyses revealed that (a) downward comparison reminding was more prominent on days that began with less pain and happier mood and that (b) improvements in pleasant mood across the day were more likely when downward comparison reminding was more prominent. These findings complicate the conceptual status of downward comparison. Downward comparison reminding, especially in the temporal domain, may at times capture a process of savoring positive circumstances, such as relative pain relief. Alternative interpretations of the findings are also offered.