Effects Of Social Comparison Research Articles

Stepping Up: An Evaluation of Social Comparison of Physical Activity During Fitbit Challenges.

The current set of within-subject, single-case design studies examined how exposure to social comparison information may impact physical activity in sedentary individuals. In Study 1, participants (N = 6) were exposed to two Fitbit challenges, one with a physically active confederate and another with a sedentary confederate. Each challenge phase lasted 7 days, during which participants were able to compare their daily steps to the assigned confederate on a ranked leaderboard, received notifications if their cumulative steps were surpassed by the confederate, and a notification indicating if they won at the conclusion of each challenge (i.e., active confederate in challenge one then sedentary confederate in challenge two, or vice versa). Study 2 replicated the procedures used in Study 1 but controlled for the distance between confederate and participant daily steps (N = 4). In Study 3, participants (N = 4) were exposed to the same confederate twice to evaluate potential order effects. Results showed that physical activity increased for most participants, but the direction and magnitude of effects differed across participants, challenge type, and order of confederate exposure. The factors producing differential responding to the Fitbit challenges, and the implications for future research on the effects of competition and social comparison on behavior, are discussed.

Mine or ours? Neural basis of the exploitation of common-pool resources.

Why do people often exhaust unregulated common (shared) natural resources but manage to preserve similar private resources? To answer this question, in this study we combine a neurobiological, economic and cognitive modeling approach. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging on 50 participants, we show that a sharp decrease of common and private resources is associated with deactivation of the ventral striatum, a brain region involved in the valuation of outcomes. Across individuals, when facing a common resource, ventral striatal activity is anticorrelated with resource preservation (less harvesting), whereas with private resources the opposite pattern is observed. This indicates that neural value signals distinctly modulate behavior in response to the depletion of common vs private resources. Computational modeling suggested that overharvesting of common resources was facilitated by the modulatory effect of social comparison on value signals. These results provide an explanation of people’s tendency to over-exploit unregulated common natural resources.

My LMX standing with my leader as compared to my coworkers: conditional indirect effect of LMX social comparison

PurposeThe paper examines the effect of relative leader-member exchange (LMX) on follower's in-role performance, citizenship behaviour and cynicism via relational identification. Moreover, LMXSC (LMXSC) moderates the direct and mediating relationship.Design/methodology/approachBased on multi-level (individual and group level) model, dyadic data were collected from 298 employees working under 47 group managers in the banking sector in Pakistan.FindingsThe multi-level moderated mediation model tested in Mplus and HLM software showed the full support for direct, mediating and moderating hypothesized relationships; however, the moderated mediation hypothesis was partially supported. It reveals that relative LMX standing of followers predicted in-role performance, organizational citizenship behaviour at an individual level (OCB-individual) and cynicism. Relational identification with the leader mediated the relationship. Moreover, at high LMXSC, the relationship between relative LMX and relational identification and consequently the outcomes were stronger.Originality/valueLMX has widely been studied at dyadic level, despite the suggested high and low LMX quality relationships that exist in a workgroup. This study not only investigates the role of relative LMX on employee performance through relational identification but also reports that subjective evaluation of LMXSC plays a major role in promoting employee performance.

The effects of perfectionism and social comparison on self-disgust

The effects of perfectionism and social comparison on self-disgust

Effects of the consumer socialization process on content sharing on SNSs: Social comparison and anticipated emotions as moderators

• Highlights the traits of Generation ME and their sharing behavior on SNSs. • Highlights the Generation ME's socialization process in sharing behavior. • Emphasized the moderating effects of social comparison on the socialization process. • Emphasized the moderating effects of anticipated emotion on attitude and behavior. In this study, consumer socialization theory (CST) is adopted to examine the effects of Generation Me traits (i.e., self-worth evaluation, need for social approval, external locus of control, and neuroticism) on the consumer socialization process and behavior on social networking sites, in order to determine the effects of these traits on digital content sharing behavior. There are two moderators (social comparisons and anticipated emotions) also considered and tested in the study. A total of 401 units of online survey data were collected from SNS users who were born between the 1980 and 2000. The SEM results indicated that self-worth evaluations, external locus of control, and neuroticism have positive effects on social influence and facilitate Generation Me attitudes and content sharing behavior on SNSs. Social comparison and anticipated emotion had a partially moderating effect on the model. The findings provide a clearer understanding of the attitudes and behavior of Generation Me individuals related to use of SNSs to researchers and managers and help them develop future marketing and management strategies.

Supplemental Material for Social Comparison Effects on Academic Self-Concepts—Which Peers Matter Most?

Supplemental Material for Social Comparison Effects on Academic Self-Concepts—Which Peers Matter Most?

The effect of physical appearance perfectionism and social comparison to thin-, slim-thick-, and fit-ideal Instagram imagery on young women’s body image

Body image research to date has examined the impact of thin- and fit-ideal media on women’s body image, however cultural trends in Western media have recently shifted towards a curvier body type called slim-thick, which is characterized by a large butt and thighs and small waist and flat stomach. We experimentally examined the impact of forced social comparison to slim-thick-, thin-, and fit-ideal imagery on women’s body image relative to a control condition, and whether physical appearance perfectionism moderated these findings. Participants were 402 female undergraduate students. Results revealed that comparison to body-ideal imagery resulted in greater weight and appearance dissatisfaction and less overall body satisfaction, relative to the control condition. Those exposed to slim-thick imagery experienced more weight and appearance dissatisfaction and less body satisfaction than those in the thin-ideal condition. Physical appearance perfectionism moderated these results, such that women who reported moderate or high levels of physical appearance perfectionism experienced greater weight and appearance dissatisfaction and lower body satisfaction in the slim-thick condition, than in the thin-ideal, fit-ideal, or control conditions. It was concluded that drive to achieve body ideals is shifting to a slim-thick body, which maybe more detrimental to women’s body image than thin-ideal imagery.

Measuring happiness under interpersonal comparison: An advanced theoretical framework and implications.

The origin of happiness arouses people’s curiosity for a long time. Recent research introduces a utility theory for measuring subjective happiness in a social context. The past recent monetary conditions influence the present subjective happiness through two distinct channels: interpersonal comparison and self-adaptation. In this paper, we develop this theory to analyze behavioral patterns. Together with prospect theory’s gain-loss utility function, we exploit the theory in predicting psychological phenomena of craving. We explore the relationships between happiness and earnings. Under certain conditions, a high payoff disappoints you immediately and even leads to continuous disappointment across periods. We extend the explanations of the scenarios of New York cabdrivers’ labor-supply decisions. The effect of social comparisons may trigger workers’ behaviors of quit-working, which deepen related understandings of the literature.

Teachers' Use of Within-Class Ability Groups in the Primary Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study of Social Comparison.

It is common practice within primary classrooms for teachers to spilt children into different ability groups so that children of similar level are taught together. Whilst this practice is used across the globe, research is mixed on the benefits of such grouping strategy. This paper presents data collected from mixed methods research which investigated teachers use of grouping strategies and social comparison, the act of comparing oneself with others. It focuses on when, why and with whom children from different ability groups compare themselves and the impact this has on their self-perceptions. Drawing upon data from children aged between 10 and 11 years from 12 primary schools, social comparison was found to play a significant role in daily classroom life for some children. The study identified different strands of the social comparison process including acknowledgment, topic, target, and direction, and it revealed positive and negative effects of social comparison. A difference by ability group was identified. Children within the low ability group were particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of social comparison and found to engage in more frequent and intentional social comparisons which were heavily relied upon for self-evaluation and performance evaluation. The paper discusses the educational implications of social comparison regarding pupil ability grouping strategies, motivation, engagement, and academic performance. Implications for teacher education and professional development is discussed.

Group Differences in the Psychological Integration Path of the Rural-to-Urban Migrants: A Conditional Process Analysis.

At present, income and welfare inequality between migrant workers and urban natives has improved in China, but there are still many “semi-urbanized” migrant workers, whose psychological integration into the migrant city is very important for their mental health. By using a second stage conditional process model to decompose the effect of income on psychological integration into direct and indirect effects, this study explores the different psychological integration paths of migrant workers in different migration ranges, based on the data of the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). The results show that the total effect of income on psychological integration is positive, and the value of inter-provincial samples is twice that of full samples. There is a significant difference in psychological integration paths between inter-provincial and intra-provincial samples, and when social comparison acts as a mediator, income has no direct effect on psychological integration of intra-provincial samples, while the direct and indirect effects of inter-provincial samples account for half of each other. Perceived discrimination played a reversed moderated role in the effect of social comparison on psychological integration, i.e., the lower the degree of perceived discrimination, the stronger the positive effect of social comparison on psychological integration, and vice versa. Therefore, according to the actual needs of different groups, relevant policies should be gradually adjusted to improve the psychological integration of migrant workers, thus contributing to their mental health.

Effects of Oxytocin on Social Comparisons in Intergroup Situations

Oxytocin (OXT) is known to affect various social processes, including social comparisons and intergroup competition. In this study, we examined whether social comparisons in intergroup situations can be modulated by OXT and, if so, how this modulation manifests. Using a double-blind placebo-controlled design, we randomly assigned male participants to either OXT or placebo treatment and then asked them to play a card game with either an in-group or an out-group member. The OXT-treated participants showed a greater social comparison effect in the games with an out-group member than in games with an in-group member. Specifically, the participants in the OXT treatment condition showed a greater acceptance rate for relative gain (downward comparison) and a lower acceptance rate for relative loss (upward comparison) while playing with an out-group member rather than an in-group member. In contrast, no such effect was observed among placebo-treated participants. These findings demonstrate that OXT facilitates intergroup social comparisons with out-group versus in-group members.

Relative performance information and social comparisons: Exploring managers' cognitive, emotional and dysfunctional behavioral processes

We explore the cognitive and emotional processes which manifest as a result of social comparisons involving relative performance information. We also explore how and why these processes may invoke dysfunctional behaviors. We mobilize social comparison theory and affective events theory to guide our study. We gather our data from a qualitative field study of a retail organization. Regarding cognitive processes, we find that, faced with a range of relative performance information, managers contemplate and select the most meaningful measurement comparisons for them. Managers also contemplate whether they can influence and attain their selected measures of relative performance. Such contemplation vis-à-vis leaderboard thresholds shape managers' emotions and dysfunctional behaviors. We conclude that perceived control over performance outcomes appears important in understanding how and in what ways social comparison effects unfold. We further conclude that social comparison processes push managers towards continuing performance improvements, even in the context of target achievement. Counterintuitively, perhaps, this effect may not always be organizationally desirable.

SNS에서 광고모델 유형, 광고형식에 따른 스포츠의류 구매의도에 미치는 영향 : 상향사회비교성향의 조절효과

This study commence with primary purpose to examine the effect of advertising model (sports star vs. influencer) and the type of advertising (direct vs. indirect) on the purchase intentions towards the sportswear product in a social media context. and to analyze the moderating effect of upward social comparison on the aforementioned relationship. The experimental situations were divided into 4 versions; sports star & direct advertisements, sports star & indirect advertisements, influencer & direct advertisements, influencer & indirect advertisements. A questionnaire was distrubuted to a total of 232 people in their 10s- 40s. This study carried out an online and offline survey obtaining 228 valid samples. The study conducted data analysis of Descriptive Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, (2×2×3) Anova Analysis using SPSS 25.0 to analyze the data. The results of this study indicated as follows. First of all, results show that there is a significant effect of model type on the purchase intentions of participant. second, results revealed that there is a significant model purchase intention only for the high and middle.

What affects the arrogant, proud or ashamed pre-service teacher in mathematics? Effects of social comparison, gender and self-concept on self-conscious emotions

Emotions are essential for the development of professional competence and identity of pre-service teachers. Thus, they can also be seen as an inherent part of teachers’ professional competence and identity. They also influence teachers’ later emotional experience when teaching at school. Mathematics, especially, triggers activating emotions in pre-service primary school teachers. Pride and shame can be understood as relevant achievement emotions, which are also closely linked to the self-concept of a person. Nevertheless, they have been insufficiently studied among pre-service mathematics teachers so far. The present study examines authentic and hubristic pride and shame among n = 310 German prospective primary school teachers in relation to self-concept (ability vs. effort), gender and social comparison with fellow students regarding their own achievement. On the one hand, the results point to the difference between authentic and hubristic pride, and on the other hand, the study provides evidence for the dynamic closeness of shame and hubristic pride. Practical implications, especially for teacher education, are discussed against the background of the limitations of the study.

This is an Insta-vention! Exploring Cognitive Countermeasures to Reduce Negative Consequences of Social Comparisons on Instagram

ABSTRACT Social networking sites such as Instagram provide users with numerous social comparison cues, potentially leading to envy and lower self-esteem. We conducted two experiments, examining whether such negative consequences could be mitigated by brief cognitive interventions. In Experiment 1 (N = 391), we reminded users of the unrealistic nature of most Instagram posts in a 2 (intervention: disclaimer vs. control) × 2 (Instagram profile: upward vs. downward comparison standard) between-subjects design. Positive and negative affect, envy, self-esteem, and well-being served as dependent variables. Experiment 2 (N = 184) explored whether slightly longer cognitive interventions (“cognitive bias” vs. “growth mindset” vs. control) could improve participants’ experience of upward comparisons, shielding them against envy or the loss of self-esteem. Both experiments included social comparison orientation (SCO) as a potential moderator. Results show that eliciting upward comparisons indeed evoked more envy, with SCO moderating the effect. We further observed indirect effects of the shown Instagram profiles on positive affect, envy, self-esteem, and well-being via participants’ social comparison experience. Concerning the cognitive interventions, however, we report that neither an authoritative disclaimer, nor educating users about cognitive biases or mindsets significantly reduced the negative consequences of social comparisons.

Motivational and emotional effects of social comparison in sports

The comparison to other athletes and the resulting effects on emotion, motivation and effort investment are a natural and integral part of sports performance. The current study tested a bias toward upward comparison in athletes. Further it tested how comparison processes influence motivation (i.e., self-improvement motivation, coasting, disengagement), emotion (e.g. happiness and shame) and performance improvement as a behavioral measure of effort. Freshmen from an elite sport university volunteered to participate in an experience sampling study conducted over one semester (6 months). Contrary to our predictions, athletes did not generally compare more upward than downward, and only few subscales of the two sport-specific dispositional measures (sport-specific achievement motivation and sport orientation) predicted upward comparison. As hypothesized, upward comparison to moderately better standards was associated with greater motivation while extreme upward comparison was related to a drop in motivation and increased disengagement. Still, upward comparison during the semester significantly predicted performance at the end of the semester. Downward comparison was related to coasting motivation and lower levels of performance. Happiness decreased with upward and increased with downward comparison. The opposite was true for feelings of shame. This research emphasizes the role of the social environment in sports and how training partners depending on their inferiority or superiority can boost or hinder motivation and performance in athletes.

Challenge or Threat? Exploring the Dual Effects of Temporal Social Comparison on Employee behaviors

The extant literature has indicated that comparison with high-performers could lead to negative emotions and behaviors among colleagues (including superior). In contrast, other research also suggested that this comparison can effectively motivate low-performance employees to work hard. However, social comparison theory points out that besides social comparison with others, individuals also compare with their past selves in the temporal dimension, that is, temporal comparison. Therefore, in this study, we apply the temporal dimension of the social comparison to explore the impact of an actor’s temporal social comparison with a target (whose performance development in the past period is better than the actor’s) on the actor’s psychological state and behavior. A scenario experiment and a three-wave field study show that the performance temporal social comparison can lead to social undermining in the workplace (leveling-down) and effectively promote the actor’s self-improvement(leveling-up) simultaneously. Based on the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, we have further tested the challenge-hindrance stresses' significant mediating effects. We further find that general self-efficacy (GSE) is an essential individual characteristic that affects the actor’s pressure perceptions. The effect on challenge stress will be more substantial when the actor’s GSE is higher, whereas hindrance stress will be more substantial when GSE is lower. Meanwhile, GSE is also moderating the indirect effects of performance temporal social comparison on different behaviors. Overall, our findings make significant contributions to social comparisons theory development and provide critical managerial implications for high-potential talent management.

How and When Leader-Member Exchange Social Comparison Hinders Employee Creativity

This research contributes to the growing research on the antecedents of creativity in the hospitality industry. Utilizing social comparison perspective, this study examines the indirect—via knowledge hiding behavior—relationship between employees perceived upward leader-member exchange (LMX) social comparison and their creativity. Moreover, this study proposes the moderating role of power distance orientation of an individual employee between the association of upward LMX social comparison and their creativity via knowledge hiding behavior. Based on time-lagged and multi-source data (n=308) collected from hospitality employees of tourist hotels, the findings of study revealed that upward LMX social comparison hinders employees' creativity via their knowledge hiding behavior. Additionally, the indirect effect of upward LMX social comparison on employee creativity was statistically significant for employees with low power distance orientation, but it was not significant for employees with high power distance. Based on the study findings, implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Having less, giving less: The effects of unfavorable social comparisons of affluence on people’s willingness to act for the benefit of others

AbstractPrevious research has found a negative relationship between individual differences in personal relative deprivation (PRD; i.e., resentment stemming from the belief that one is worse off than similar others) and prosociality. Whether PRD causes reductions in people's willingness to act for the benefit of others, however, is yet to be established. Across six studies, we experimentally examined whether experiences of PRD via unfavorable (vs. favorable or lateral) social comparisons of affluence reduced prosociality toward known others and strangers. We found that making hypothetical (Study 1) or real (Study 2) unfavorable social comparisons of affluence in workplace contexts reduced participants’ organizational citizenship behavioral intentions. Furthermore, adverse social comparisons of affluence reduced generosity toward the targets of those comparisons during a Dictator Game (Studies 3 to 6). Across studies, we also measured participants’ subjective and objective socioeconomic status and found, contrary to previous theory and research, no consistent relationship between status and prosociality and no modulation of this relationship by either local or macro‐level inequality. These results suggest that local, specific interpersonal comparisons of affluence play a more dominant role in people's willingness to act for the benefit of a comparison target than do their subjective or objective class rank or the prevailing income inequality of the state in which they reside.

PENGARUH SOCIAL COMPARISON TERHADAP BODY IMAGE PADA WANITA DI HARMONY FITNESS CENTER SUMBAWA BESAR

This study aims to determine the effect of social comparison on body image of women at Harmony Fitness Center Sumbawa Besar. This research method uses descriptive quantitative method. The sampling technique in this study used purposive sampling and the determination of the large number of samples with the Slovin formula for the critical value or the accuracy limit of 10%. The sample in this study amounted to 53 women aged 18-40 years, fitness center customers, exercise intensity 2-3 times a week. The research measuring instrument used is the social comparison scale and the body image scale. The results of the analysis show that social comparison has an effect on body image in women with a significance value of Sig. 0.000 (Sig. <0.05) R Square value of 0.266 so it can be said that the higher the social comparison, the higher the body image of women.