March 18th, 2019
“Don’t waste your energy trying to change opinions …
do your thing, and don’t care if they like it.”
– Tina Fey
Have you ever noticed yourself comparing yourself to others? Maybe you compare yourself to the same person over and over again. Or, maybe you regularly compare yourself with a whole group of people. As humans, we are inclined to evaluate ourselves based on other people around us.
As previously stated, as humans, we are hardwired to examine other people, evaluate those people, evaluate ourselves, and then compare ourselves to those around us who we have evaluated. Social comparison, therefore, is the process by which this examination and evaluation takes place. In psychology, there is a theory revolved around this phenomenon called the Social Comparison Theory.
All the time! Because this mechanism is hardwired into us as humans, we are constantly engaging in social comparison. Common social settings where we compare ourselves may include:
This phenomenon is certainly not new to the human species, as social comparison has been occurring for centuries on end. However, it may be that social comparison is currently at an unrivaled height that has yet to be experienced by previous generations!
What is the cause for this change and increase in our propensity to compare ourselves to other people? The answer – technology, namely the internet. Yes, the internet. But even more specifically social media! There are numerous times that we compare ourselves to others in the day-to-day happenings of our lives, but this number is often too many to count when talking about social media.
Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) are vehicles that allow people to observe others and compare themselves to what others are posting and displaying. There are numerous issues with this new form of social comparison:
By now, you may be thinking that all social comparison is all bad and that we should avoid it at all costs. However, that is not necessarily the case. It can be beneficial to have some social comparison, but it must be in the appropriate times and in an appropriate amount. This will be explained below, while discussing the two types of social comparison – downward social comparison and upward social comparison.
While there are many dangers from engaging in social comparison, there are also benefits from it too. Both downward and upward social comparison can have drawbacks as well as advantages. The key to engaging in social comparison is moderation and timing. There are times when comparing oneself to others is okay and natural, and there are other times it can be harmful and detrimental to one’s psychology.
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