The grass is always greener on my Friends' profiles: The effect of Facebook social comparison on state self-esteem and depression

Abstract

Social comparison that takes place online is unique in the sense that it evokes almost exclusively upward comparison (i.e., comparison with others who are seemingly doing better than us). On social media, people tend to present an idealized image of themselves and share predominantly the positive aspects of their lives. The idyllic representations of others potentially evoke a sense that something is wrong with our own lives, triggering emotions such as shame and envy that harm psychological well-being. Using an experimental method, the current study examined the effect of social comparison that takes place on Facebook on two aspects of well-being: state self-esteem and depression. Participants were asked to browse either their Facebook News Feed or a Facebook page devoid of social content, and complete measures of state self-esteem and depression. Participants who browsed their Facebook News Feed reported lower state self-esteem and higher depression levels, than participants who browsed a non-social content Facebook page. The results also revealed a moderation effect for general social comparison tendency. These finding points to a causal link between exposure to the social content presented on Facebook and negative psychological outcomes.