Social comparison and satisfaction with one's social life

Abstract

In this study (N = 96), the role of social comparison in evaluating the quality of one's friendships and social relationships was examined. Participants who were exposed to a comparison target with a very dissatisfying social life evaluated their own social life as better than participants who were exposed to a comparison target with a very satisfying social life. However, this effect was only found among individuals high in the individual characteristic social comparison orientation. It is concluded that only individuals with a dispositional tendency to compare themselves with others will base the evaluation of their social life to an important extent on what they see in others. KEY WORDS: close relationships • downward comparison • satisfaction • social comparison orientation • social relationships • upward comparison Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Social Comparison Orientation Moderates the Effects of Group Membership on the Similarity-Attraction Relationship

“…This study is one of the few to demonstrate the importance of social comparison orientation for social relationships (Buunk et al, 2007) and, more specifically, for the similarity-attraction relationship (Michinov & Michinov, 2001). Our findings extend Michinov and Michinov's (2001) results which demonstrated that high-comparison orientation individuals are equally attracted to similar and dissimilar targets when they have not received any information about the group membership of the target.…”

“…Buunk and Gibbons (2006) pointed out that the consequences of social comparison information are more pronounced among high than low SCO individuals. Thus, high-SCO individuals seem to be more concerned with "being evaluated"than low-SCO individuals, and they can be affected differently by social comparisons (Buunk & Gibbons, 2006;Buunk et al, 2007). With regard to attitudes and opinions, Michinov and Michinov (2001) found that the similarity-attraction relationship did not appear among high-comparison orientation individuals.…”

“…Generally, individuals high in social comparison orientation have been defined by a combination of: (a) a high accessibility and awareness of the self (Stapel & Tesser, 2001), (b) an interest in what others feel and think (Buunk & Gibbons, 2006), and (c) some degree of negative affectivity and chronic uncertainty about the self (Butzer & Kuiper, 2006;Buunk & Gibbons, 2006). Several studies have demonstrated that individuals differ in their need for social comparison and that this individual orientation influences responses to social comparison information (Buunk & Gibbons, 2006;Buunk, Groothof, & Siero, 2007;Michinov & Michinov, 2001). Buunk and Gibbons (2006) pointed out that the consequences of social comparison information are more pronounced among high than low SCO individuals.…”

“…Based on previous research linking social comparison frequency and perception of social comparison information (e.g., Buunk & Gibbons, 2006;Buunk et al, 2007;Michinov & Michinov, 2001), we expected that high-SCO individuals would prefer similar to dissimilar others only when the target belonged to their in-group and was consequently relevant for evaluating their self-concept (Brewer & Weber, 1994;Major, Sciacchitano, & Crocker, 1993). Conversely, when comparing themselves with an out-group target less relevant for the evaluation of their self-concept, high-comparison orientation individuals would prefer similar and dissimilar others equally, and the classic similarity-attraction relationship would not be observed.…”

When being worse helps: The influence of upward social comparisons and knowledge awareness on learner engagement and learning in peer-to-peer knowledge exchange

“…Some people are more predisposed than others to rely on these comparisons. The impact of such individual differences is well documented in a variety of domains, such as satisfaction with social life, burnout among nurses and relationship satisfaction (Buunk, Groothof, & Siero, 2007;Buunk, Zurriaga, & Peíro, 2010;Dijkstra, Buunk, T oth, & Jager, 2007).…”