Social Comparison Frequency Research Articles

Instagram’s Influence on Self-representation of Young Users

Social media users are attempting to capture every moment of their life, therefore creating the visual global aesthetic that forms virtuality. This study examines the relationship between the usage of Instagram, and its influence on users’ mental health through social comparison traps, body image, stereotyping, gender differences, cultural background, unrealistic beauty standards, and fake representations. This research tried to find out that the frequency of social comparisons on Instagram may have detrimental consequences on users such as depression and feelings of inadequacy. Furthermore, due to idealized representations, individuals can struggle to distinguish between their true identities and their digital personas. Additionally, widespread usage of weight loss and body image hashtags and trends may negatively impact young adults. However, Instagram might have a beneficial impact as it allows people to express themselves in front of billions of others. A mixed research method approach was applied to fully understand this study by using the Social Comparison scale and asking open-ended short-answer questions. In this context, 105 participants aged between 18 and 25 were asked about their use of the Instagram platform and their comparisons with other users, through electronic surveys. The study aimed to show how social media affects young adults in different ways and to provide insight into how users can better protect their mental health on Instagram. Research findings reveal that Instagram users think that they make rational choices about their online behavior and personal representation, and that they use the platform in a healthy and beneficial way.

Country Differences in Social Comparison on Social Media

Social comparison is a common focus in discussions of online social media use, and differences in its frequency, causes, and outcomes may arise from country or cultural differences. To understand how these differences play a role in experiences of social comparison on Facebook, a survey of 37,729 people across 18 countries was paired with respondents' activity on Facebook. The findings were augmented with 39 in-person interviews in three countries. Social comparison frequency was more strongly predicted by country than by age, gender, and Facebook activity combined, indicating that country differences are important to consider when studying social comparison. Women's and men's experiences differed greatly between countries. Exposure to high feedback counts on friends' posts was associated with more frequent social comparison, but only in some countries. Design interventions that account for such country differences may be more effective at reducing the negative outcomes of social comparison.

Social comparison orientation and frequency: A study on international travel bloggers

This study adopts a social comparison theory perspective to examine the drivers of social comparison frequency (SCF) on Facebook among international travel bloggers who utilize Facebook for their travel blogging activities. An online survey led to 99 usable responses covering travel bloggers from 33 countries.Results suggest that there is a strongly positive and significant relationship between SCF on Facebook and the Ability dimension of social comparison orientation (SCO), as well as between SCF and opinion leadership. While professional travel bloggers are more likely to be opinion leaders, non-professional travel bloggers tend to compare themselves with others on Facebook considerably more often. Overall, it seems that Facebook is deployed in a rather strategic way by travel bloggers who try to enhance the visibility of themselves and their blogs vis-à-vis international competitors. Research contributions and managerial implications are discussed.

The Ex-Factor: Attachment Anxiety and Social Comparisons Across Romantic Relationships

AbstractIndividuals high in attachment anxiety often experience persistent negative self-perceptions and heightened sensitivity toward perceived relationship threats. These characteristics may extend into past romantic relationships. This study examined whether individual differences in attachment style predict self-evaluations and relationship social comparison frequency. Two hundred and fifty-nine individuals rated themselves, their partner, and their current partner's ex-partner (CPE) or their ex-partner's current partner (ECP) on several dimensions. Individuals high in attachment anxiety experienced more relationship uncertainty but were not less satisfied than individuals low in attachment anxiety. They also made more comparisons in general and to relationships involving an ex-partner, and viewed themselves less positively than they viewed their CPE/ECP. Findings are discussed with respect to the influence that past relationships might hold over anxiously attached individuals’ current relationships.

Strive for what others want: the role of mindfulness, social pressure, time pressure and time perspectives on designers' happiness

The present study investigated the specific life circumstances that determine designers' happiness measured in terms of life satisfaction and subjective well-being. To this aim, self-reports of 252 participants in an online survey were analysed using psychological measurement instruments for pressure, self-aspects, happiness and mindfulness. The findings highlight that social pressure and time pressure are negatively related to designers' happiness and to positive self-aspects (self-esteem, creative self-efficacy) by a small to medium effect size (r = .21). Judging partially mediates this detrimental effect by a small effect size (r = .09), is highly related to social comparison frequency (r = .50) and global happiness (r = –.40). Present focus and present value relate more positively to global happiness than future focus and future value (r = .17). A positive implication for designers derives from the result that creative self-efficacy closely relates to positive emotions (r = .43) and life satisfaction (r = .40) but is unaffected by social and time pressure.

Strive for what others want – the role of mindfulness, social pressure, time pressure and time perspectives on designers' happiness

The present study investigated the specific life circumstances that determine designers' happiness measured in terms of life satisfaction and subjective well-being. To this aim, self-reports of 252 participants in an online survey were analysed using psychological measurement instruments for pressure, self-aspects, happiness and mindfulness. The findings highlight that social pressure and time pressure are negatively related to designers' happiness and to positive self-aspects (self-esteem, creative self-efficacy) by a small to medium effect size (r = .21). Judging partially mediates this detrimental effect by a small effect size (r = .09), is highly related to social comparison frequency (r = .50) and global happiness (r = –.40). Present focus and present value relate more positively to global happiness than future focus and future value (r = .17). A positive implication for designers derives from the result that creative self-efficacy closely relates to positive emotions (r = .43) and life satisfaction (r = .40) but is unaffected by social and time pressure.

How do people compare themselves with others on social network sites?: The case of Facebook

The social comparison theory and its subsequent studies say that comparing with others can influence an individual in several ways (e.g., evaluation of oneself, influence on self-esteem/self-confidence, and efficient decision making) and people compare with others when they are confronted with information of others. With the popularity of social network sites, many people acquire or are exposed to information of others on social network sites, which implies that people are likely to frequently engage in social comparison behavior on social network sites. The present paper examines social comparison behavior on social network sites (especially on Facebook) using a college students sample. We find that an individual’s personality characteristics (i.e., social comparison orientation, self-esteem, self-uncertainty, and self-consciousness) influence the person’s social comparison frequency on Facebook. A positive relationship between Facebook use intensity and social comparison frequency on Facebook is found. In addition, we find a positive association between social comparison frequency on Facebook and the frequency of having a negative feeling from comparison. Other findings are also reported in the paper.

Transcribing and Transcending the Ego

A humanistic and transpersonal approach to personal growth necessitates careful inquiry into the often pathological world of egoistic functioning—where the psyche is engaged in a continual, defensive, and ruminative effort to assert the uniqueness, power, and positivity of an independent symbolic self. This article describes narrative research, conducted at the beginning of several undergraduate courses in personality theory, in which students ( n = 229) were encouraged to introspect into the process of objectifying and evaluating the self. After undergoing brief mindfulness training, individuals spent 1 week journaling about salient upward and downward social comparisons, with particular attention to those experiences that triggered strong feelings of inferiority and superiority. Prototypic journal passages are quoted to illustrate central findings. Participants expressed a remarkably intense array of self-evaluative episodes, particularly along the dimensions of physical appearance and intellect. Discussion focuses on the very high frequency of social comparisons reported, the cyclical nature of self-evaluation and its implications for persistent suffering, and the spontaneous experiences of insight into ego transcendence and deeper levels of self-awareness. This work advances the humanistic project by detailing a novel mechanism for facilitating self-realization in an educational context.

Antecedents and consequences of the frequency of upward and downward social comparisons at work

The current paper examines the dispositional and situational antecedents, as well as the attitudinal and behavioral consequences, of the frequency of upward and downward social comparisons. We predicted social comparison frequency would be influenced by uncertainty-related antecedents, and that social comparisons in organizations would be characterized by contrast, not assimilation, effects. A large and occupationally diverse sample of 991 employed adults was surveyed at three separate points in time over a 12–16 week period. Our results, based on structural equation modeling, indicated that (a) role ambiguity, task autonomy, and core self-evaluations were significant predictors of upward social comparison, (b) upward social comparison was significantly negatively related to job satisfaction and affective commitment, (c) downward social comparison was significantly positively related to job satisfaction and affective commitment, and (d) upward and downward social comparisons had significant positive and negative indirect effects on the frequency of job search behaviors, respectively. The findings are discussed in terms of their general implications for understanding the importance of directional social comparison processes in organizational settings.

Relationships between the frequency of social comparisons and self-concept clarity, intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression

Previous work has highlighted the importance of uncertainty in motivating social comparison. We extended this approach by focusing on the frequency of social comparisons and four uncertainty-related constructs, namely, self-concept clarity, intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression. Participants were 166 undergraduates who completed measures for each construct, as well as measures of their own frequency of general, upward, and downward social comparisons. Initial correlational analyses indicated that higher self-concept clarity was related to a lower frequency of general and upward social comparisons; whereas higher intolerance of uncertainty was related to a higher frequency of general, upward, and downward social comparisons. Depression and anxiety were also related to increased general and upward comparisons. Of particular interest, however, were the findings associated with two path analyses. The first analysis indicated that when all four uncertainty-related constructs were considered together, intolerance of uncertainty emerged as the most important predictor of general, upward, and downward comparisons. In contrast, lower self-concept clarity and increased depression played a much more limited role, and anxiety was not a significant predictor. In turn, the second analysis showed that self-concept clarity and intolerance of uncertainty fully mediated the relationships between depression, anxiety, and general and upward social comparison.

Social Comparisons at Work as Related to a Cooperative Social Climate and to Individual Differences in Social Comparison Orientation

Cette étude a porté sur la fréquence des comparaisons sociales dans une situation de travail et sur les sentiments évoqués par ces comparaisons. Ces processus one été rapportés aux différences individuelles qui apparaissent dans l’orientation des comparaisons sociales et à la perception d’un climat de travail coopératif. Les sujets étaient 216 médecins de différents organismes de santé de l’agglomération de Valence en Espagne. En général, les comparaisons vers le haut étaient plus fréquentes et procuraient plus d’impressions positives et moins d’affects négatifs que les comparaisons vers le bas. Ceux qui présentaient un niveau élevé dans l’orientation des comparaisons rapportaient relativement plus de comparaisons vers le haut et vers le bas, plus de sentiments positifs après des comparaisons vers le bas et plus de sentiments negatifs à l’issue de comparaisons vers le haut. Inversement, ceux qui percevaient le climat social au travail comme coopératif rapportaient relativement plus de sentiments positifs après des comparaisons vers le haut. Parmi les 87 sujets participèrent à la partie longitudinale de la recherche, le climat coopératif perçu et l’orientation des comparaisons sociales furent plus stables sur une durée d’un an que le fréquence des comparaisons vers le haut et vers le bas et les conséquences affectives de ces comparaisons. Il faut en conclure que les individus interprètent les comparaisons sociales au travail dans un sens positif quand ils perçoivent le climat social comme coopératif et d’une façon négative quand ils sont à un niveau élevé dans l’orientation des comparaisons sociales.This study examined the frequency of social comparisons in a work setting, and the feelings that these comparisons evoked. These processes were related to individual differences in social comparison orientation, and to the perception of a cooperative social climate at work. The participants were 216 physicians from various health centers in the Community of Valencia in Spain. In general, upward comparisons occurred more often, and elicited more positive and less negative affect than downward comparisons. Those high in social comparison orientation reported relatively more upward as well as downward comparisons, more positive affect after downward comparisons, and more negative affect after upward comparisons. Conversely, those who perceived the social climate at work as cooperative reported relatively more downward comparisons, more negative affect after downward comparison, and more positive affect after upward comparison. Among the 87 participants who participated in the longitudinal part of the study, perceived cooperative climate and social comparison orientation were more stable over a period of one year than the frequency of upward and downward comparison and the affective consequences of upward and downward comparison. It is concluded that individuals interpret social comparisons at work in a positive way when they perceive the social climate as cooperative, and in a negative way when they are high in social comparison orientation.

Mild Depression and Frequency of Social Comparison Behavior

Mild Depression and Frequency of Social Comparison BehaviorStephen R. Swallow and Nicholas A. KuiperStephen R. SwallowSearch for more papers by this author and Nicholas A. Kuiper1 Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and University of Toronto2 University of Western OntarioSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:January 2011PDFPDF PLUS ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations About Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Cited byCited by1. Looks interesting: Attention allocation in depression when using a news website – An eye tracking studyOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar2. The effects of depression tendency and social comparison on adolescent self-evaluationOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar3. Online publication date: Go to citation Crossref 4. Exploring the association of social comparison with depression and anxiety: A systematic review and meta‐analysisOnline publication date: 13 April 2020. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar5. Self-Comparison in the Digital WorldOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar6. Self-ComparisonOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar7. An EEG-based study on coherence and brain networks in mild depression cognitive processOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google ScholarDanielle Arigo and Jacqulyn Cavanaugh8. Social Perceptions Predict Change in Women's Mental Health and Health-Related Quality of Life During the First Semester of CollegeOnline publication date: 6 October 2016. Go to citation Crossref 9. Companion Versus ComparisonOnline publication date: 10 February 2016. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar10. An Experimental Manipulation of Social Comparison in Social AnxietyOnline publication date: 29 April 2014. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar11. An Integrative Model of the Impact of Exposure to Idealized Female Images on Adolescent Girls? Body SatisfactionOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar12. Non-treatment-related sudden gains in depression: The role of self-evaluationOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar13. Rankings, standards, and competition: Task vs. scale comparisonsOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar14. Relationships between the frequency of social comparisons and self-concept clarity, intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, and depressionOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar15. Frequent Social Comparisons and Destructive Emotions and Behaviors: The Dark Side of Social ComparisonsOnline publication date: 14 June 2006. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar16. Soliciting unfavourable social comparison: Effects of self-criticismOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar17. Social comparison processes in social phobiaOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar18. Investigation of Body Comparison Among Adolescent Girls1Online publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar19. Prospects, Pitfalls, and Plans: A Proactive Perspective on Social Comparison ActivityOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar20. WHEN DOWNWARD COMPARISON PRODUCES NEGATIVE AFFECT: THE SENSE OF CONTROL AS A MODERATOROnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar21. Assimilative and Contrastive Emotional Reactions to Upward and Downward Social ComparisonsOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar22. Examining Social Comparisons with the Test Selection MeasureOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar23. Comparing ComparisonsOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar24. Individual Differences in Social ComparisonOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar25. Health appraisal models in multiple sclerosisOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar26. Cognitive assessment of unipolar depression: Measuring products, processes and structuresOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar27. Social Comparison Processes under Stress: Towards an Integration of Classic and Recent PerspectivesOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar28. Social comparison by dysphoric and nondysphoric college students: The grass isn't always greener on the other sideOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar29. Schematic self-representation in emotional disorder: Conceptual and methodological considerationsOnline publication date: 28 September 2007. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar30. Social comparison in dysphoria and nondysphoria: Differences in target similarity and specificityOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar Volume 11Issue 2Jun 1992 Information© 1992 Guilford Publications Inc.PDF download