Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison

Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison

Social comparison plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of personal success and self-worth. Rather than assessing our achievements in isolation, we interpret their significance relative to personal goals and critically in comparison to the performance of others. A grade of B in a mathematics exam might elicit pride if one's expectation was a C, yet result in disappointment if an A was anticipated or if peers achieved superior results. These comparative evaluations illustrate how both...

The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison

The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison

According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...

Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model

Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model

The Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model offers a psychological framework to understand how individuals’ self-esteem is influenced by the achievements of others, particularly those with whom they share close personal bonds. The SEM model operates when personal rather than social identity guides individuals. Central to this model is the notion that individuals have an inherent desire to preserve a favorable self-image, which is continuously shaped by interpersonal comparisons and...

Jealousy in Romantic Relationships

Jealousy in Romantic Relationships

Jealousy is an instinctive yet socially complex emotion that arises when a close relationship is threatened. Its origins lie in both biological imperatives and sociocultural conditioning, making it a multifaceted psychological construct. Although universally experienced, the triggers and expressions of jealousy vary notably between individuals, especially across genders, due to evolutionary pressures and cultural influences.Gender Differences and Evolutionary TheoryEvolutionary theory explains...

In- and Out-Groups

In- and Out-Groups

People all belong to a gender, race, age, and social economic group. These groups provide a powerful source of our identity and self-esteem (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and serve as our in-groups. An in-group is a group that we identify with or see ourselves as belonging to.

Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects

Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects

Self-discrepancy theory explains how people compare their actual self to their ideal and ought selves and how mismatches between these self-guides can lead to emotional distress. Developed by E. Tory Higgins, the theory distinguishes among three components of self-concept: the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self. These refer respectively to how individuals perceive themselves, how they aspire to be, and how they believe they are obligated to be. Emotional well-being, self-esteem,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

People's Responses to Nuclear Weapons: Mapping Post-Cold War Research.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026

Same author

Introduction.

Annual review of psychology·2026

Same author

Lost opportunities: How gendered arrangements harm men.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Introduction.

Annual review of psychology·2025

Same author

Costly exploration produces stereotypes with dimensions of warmth and competence.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2024

Same author

Validating a brief measure of four facets of social evaluation.

Behavior research methods·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

How to Create and Use Binocular Rivalry

How to Create and Use Binocular Rivalry

Published on: November 10, 2010

Envy up, scorn down: how comparison divides us.

Susan T Fiske¹

¹Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. sfiske@princeton.edu

The American Psychologist

|November 10, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Social comparison naturally causes envy and scorn, negatively impacting relationships. Experiments reveal how status influences these emotions and suggest empathy and counterstereotypic information can mitigate negative effects.

More Related Videos

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Three Differential Expression Analysis Methods for RNA Sequencing: limma, EdgeR, DESeq2

Three Differential Expression Analysis Methods for RNA Sequencing: limma, EdgeR, DESeq2

Published on: September 18, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

How to Create and Use Binocular Rivalry

How to Create and Use Binocular Rivalry

Published on: November 10, 2010

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Three Differential Expression Analysis Methods for RNA Sequencing: limma, EdgeR, DESeq2

Three Differential Expression Analysis Methods for RNA Sequencing: limma, EdgeR, DESeq2

Published on: September 18, 2021

Area of Science:

Psychology
Social Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Social comparison is a natural human tendency.
Unmitigated social comparison can lead to negative emotions like envy and scorn.
These emotions can damage interpersonal relationships and individual well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying envy and scorn.
To explore the role of social status in these comparative emotions.
To identify strategies for mitigating the negative effects of social comparison.

Main Methods:

Utilized a multi-method approach including questionnaires and psychometric assessments.
Employed response-time, electromyographic (EMG), and neuroimaging techniques.
Analyzed experimental data to illustrate emotional dynamics.

Main Results:

Social status significantly influences the direction and intensity of envy and scorn.
Scorn directed downward deactivates cognitive processes related to understanding others' minds.
Envy directed upward is associated with Schadenfreude (malicious joy), particularly towards outgroups.

Conclusions:

Social comparison dynamics are complex, involving status, power, and specific emotional responses.
Interventions such as providing counterstereotypic information, fostering empathy, and promoting outcome dependency can reduce envy and scorn.
Understanding these mechanisms offers pathways to healthier social interactions.