Social Comparison

One individual difference factor that is often raised as a potential predictor of level of social comparison is self-esteem. However, the relation between self-esteem and social comparison appears to be rather complex. Wheeler and Miyake (1992) had 94 college students record the social comparisons they made for two weeks. They found that whether one makes upward or downward comparisons is dependent upon the target, but that having a negative mood before socially comparing oneself is more likely to lead to upward comparisons. One might expect that having a negative mood before making comparisons would lead to downward comparisons. The results seem counterintuitive in that they also found that subjective well-being is decreased by upward comparisons …show more content…
Social networking sites require individuals to build an online profile, where they may choose to present themselves to others in a certain way. Moreover, use of the Internet, and of SNS, specifically, has been linked in a handful of studies to increased social comparison and diminished self-esteem and self-image. There have also been studies that examined the impact of Facebook use, in particular. Chou and Edge (2012) collected survey data from undergraduates with questions about their Facebook use. Their findings indicated that individuals who had been using Facebook for a longer period of time perceived that others were happier and that life was not fair. Participants who spent more time on Facebook weekly reported that they felt others were happier and had better lives. Continuing with the trend of negative effects, Feinstein et al. (2013) examined negative social comparison on Facebook and what might be the mechanism that leads to depressive symptoms. Their results indicate that negatively comparing oneself to others can lead to rumination, which in turn can increase the risk of depressive