How Social Comparison Theory Influences Our Views on Ourselves

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Table of Contents

History

Types

Inaccuracies

Impact

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In psychology, social comparison theory is one explanation for this tendency we have to make comparisons between ourselves and others. Let’s take a closer look at how social comparison theory works and how the comparisons we make can influencethe views we hold of ourselves.

History of Social Comparison Theory

For example, imagine that a high school student has just signed up for band class to learn how to play the clarinet. As they evaluate their skills and progress, they compare their performance to other students in the class.

They might initially compare their abilities to the other members of the clarinet section, particularly noting those who are better than them, as well as those who are worse. They may also compare their musical abilities to those of students who play other instruments, even comparing themself to the star student of the class.

Types of Social Comparison

Upward Social Comparison

Upward comparison takes place when we compare ourselves with those who we believe are better than or superior to us.These comparisons often focus on the desire toimprove ourselves, our current status, or our level of ability. We might compare ourselves to someone better off and look for ways that we can achieve similar results.

Downward Social Comparison

Downward social comparisons arewhen we compare ourselves to others who are worse off than us.Such comparisons are often centered onmaking ourselves feel betterabout our abilities or traits. We might not be great at something, but at least we are better off than someone else.

People compare themselves to those who are better when they want inspiration to improve, and they compare themselves to those who are worse when they want to feel better about themselves.

When Social Comparisons Are Inaccurate

According to Festinger, people rely on social comparisons to accurately assess their abilities, traits, and attitudes. In cases where your comparisons are not effective or lead to inaccuracies in your self-judgment, you might find yourself in situations that are too difficult or complex for your current skill level.Here’s an example.

Impact of Social Comparison

Comparing ourselves to others can be both beneficial and harmful. The difference lies in the types of comparisons being made, or whether they are upward or downward.

If you want to assess your skill as a basketball player, you might begin comparing your performance to other people that you know, such as a friend who plays on a school’s basketball team. This is an example of upward social comparison.

Conversely, you might also compare your basketball abilities to a friend who couldn’t make a basket to save their life. In comparison, your performance is much better. This is an example of downward social comparison. In this case, observing your friend’s poor skills can make you feel better about your own abilities.

Some comparisons might make you feel inadequate and less likely to pursue a goal, while others give you confidence and helpboost your self-esteem.

Takeaways

Social comparison not only plays a role in the judgments that people make about themselves but also in the way that people behave. As you compare yourself to others, consider how both upward and downward social comparison might influenceyour self-belief, confidence, motivation, and attitude, and watch for negative feelings that might emerge as a result of this process.

Why It’s Harmful to Compare Yourself to Others

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Festinger L.A theory of social comparison processes.Hum Rel.1954;7(2):117-140. doi:10.1177/001872675400700202Wang JL, Wang HZ, Gaskin J, Hawk S.The mediating roles of upward social comparison and self-esteem and the moderating role of social comparison orientation in the association between social networking site usage and subjective well-being.Front Psychol. 2017;8:771. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00771Cramer EM, Song H, Drent AM.Social comparison on Facebook: Motivation, affective consequences, self-esteem, and Facebook fatigue.Comput Hum Behav. 2016;64:739-746. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.049

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Festinger L.A theory of social comparison processes.Hum Rel.1954;7(2):117-140. doi:10.1177/001872675400700202Wang JL, Wang HZ, Gaskin J, Hawk S.The mediating roles of upward social comparison and self-esteem and the moderating role of social comparison orientation in the association between social networking site usage and subjective well-being.Front Psychol. 2017;8:771. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00771Cramer EM, Song H, Drent AM.Social comparison on Facebook: Motivation, affective consequences, self-esteem, and Facebook fatigue.Comput Hum Behav. 2016;64:739-746. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.049

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Festinger L.A theory of social comparison processes.Hum Rel.1954;7(2):117-140. doi:10.1177/001872675400700202Wang JL, Wang HZ, Gaskin J, Hawk S.The mediating roles of upward social comparison and self-esteem and the moderating role of social comparison orientation in the association between social networking site usage and subjective well-being.Front Psychol. 2017;8:771. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00771Cramer EM, Song H, Drent AM.Social comparison on Facebook: Motivation, affective consequences, self-esteem, and Facebook fatigue.Comput Hum Behav. 2016;64:739-746. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.049

Festinger L.A theory of social comparison processes.Hum Rel.1954;7(2):117-140. doi:10.1177/001872675400700202

Wang JL, Wang HZ, Gaskin J, Hawk S.The mediating roles of upward social comparison and self-esteem and the moderating role of social comparison orientation in the association between social networking site usage and subjective well-being.Front Psychol. 2017;8:771. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00771

Cramer EM, Song H, Drent AM.Social comparison on Facebook: Motivation, affective consequences, self-esteem, and Facebook fatigue.Comput Hum Behav. 2016;64:739-746. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.07.049

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