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Related Concept Videos

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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...
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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,...
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As formulated by John Thibaut and Harold Kelley, Social Exchange Theory explains human relationships as economic-like exchanges that maximize rewards and minimize costs. This theory suggests that individuals engage in relationships to gain benefits and reduce burdens, similar to economic transactions. It has been widely applied to various types of relationships, including romantic, professional, and social interactions.Rewards and Costs in RelationshipsRelationship rewards include emotional...
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Related Experiment Video

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The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
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Which social comparisons influence happiness with unequal pay?

Eleanor Putnam-Farr1, Carey K Morewedge2

  • 1Department of Marketing, Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|September 24, 2020
PubMed
Summary

People focus on statistical pay distribution features like the mean and maximum, not individual comparisons, when assessing happiness with unequal pay. This understanding impacts perceptions of salary and bonus satisfaction.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics
  • Decision Science

Background:

  • Understanding social comparison's impact on subjective well-being is crucial.
  • Existing research often focuses on exemplar-based comparisons for income satisfaction.
  • The role of statistical distribution properties in social comparison remains less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate which social comparison standards most influence happiness with unequally distributed pay.
  • To determine if ensemble representations or exemplar-based comparisons are more impactful.
  • To explore the attentional processes underlying social comparison in pay satisfaction.

Main Methods:

  • Examined happiness with salaries and bonuses under unequal distribution.
  • Utilized ensemble representation theory focusing on statistical properties (mean, range).
  • Conducted process studies and experimental manipulations of comparison salience.

Main Results:

  • Ensemble representations highlight distribution mean and proximal extremes (max/min) as key comparison standards.
  • Happiness with pay is more influenced by comparison to distribution statistics than individual exemplars.
  • Top-down information selectively influences which comparison standards are used (e.g., task similarity).

Conclusions:

  • Statistical properties of pay distributions, accessed via ensemble representation, are primary drivers of pay satisfaction.
  • Findings challenge exemplar-based models and highlight the importance of aggregate information.
  • Provides insights into relative income effects, social comparison, and attentional processes.