Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
08:24
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
1.2K
A social comparison theory meta-analysis 60+ years on
J P Gerber1, Ladd Wheeler2, Jerry Suls3
1Department of Psychology, Gordon College.
Psychological Bulletin
|November 17, 2017
Summary
People often prefer upward social comparisons, especially when not threatened, and contrast is the dominant reaction, significantly impacting self-perceptions of ability and affect.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Meta-Analysis
- Self-Perception Research
Background:
- Social comparison theory explores how individuals evaluate themselves by comparing to others.
- Decades of research have examined both the selection of comparison targets and the subsequent effects on self-evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analytically synthesize over 60 years of social comparison research.
- To investigate target selection (upward, downward, lateral) and reaction (contrast, assimilation) to social comparisons.
- To identify moderators and publication bias in social comparison effects.
Main Methods:
- Conducted meta-analyses on published social comparison studies.
- Analyzed selection preferences (upward vs. downward vs. lateral).
- Examined reaction effects (contrast vs. assimilation) on self-evaluations, affect, and ability.
Main Results:
- A strong preference for upward comparison was found when no threat was present; downward comparison was not dominant even when threatened.
- Contrast was the predominant reaction, particularly affecting ability estimates and affect.
- Moderator analyses indicated stronger contrast effects for ability and affect when comparing novel attributes or with dissimilar others.
Conclusions:
- Social comparison predominantly leads to contrastive self-evaluations, especially concerning ability and affect.
- While upward comparison is often preferred, it frequently results in self-deflating contrast.
- Further research is needed on the psychological drivers of upward comparison despite negative self-evaluative outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
278
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...
278
00:52Social Proof
32.4K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
32.4K
02:12Relationship Formation
46.3K
What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...
46.3K
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
56.2K
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...
56.2K
01:37Social Loafing
39.8K
Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated,...
39.8K
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
7.2K
Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when...
7.2K