Benefits of Comparison

The benefits of comparison derive from mindful comparison when we compare ourselves to ourselves and/or others as a way of evaluating our personal development or to motivate ourselves to improve and - in the process - also develop a more positive self-image. However, it takes lots of self-discipline and plenty of self-understanding to avoid the many traps of negative comparison. In large part, how we respond to comparisons depends on who and what we are comparing ourselves too. When we just want to feel better about ourselves, we tend to engage in comparisons to people worse off than we currently are, although this can become an unhealthy habit.

We normally engage in either upward or downward comparisons. In upward comparisons, we compare ourselves with those we believe are better than us in some way; in downward comparisons, we do the opposite. Downward comparisons make us feel better about ourselves, but there are dangers attached to each approach…

• insecurity and jealousy (upward), or
• overconfidence and arrogance (downward).

Dangers of Comparison

Quite often comparison is labeled as “the thief of joy and happinessplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHappiness Can Be Learned

A new study coordinated by the University of Trento shows the beneficial effects of an intensive program on .

The results showed that several psychological well-being measures gradually increased within participants from the beginning to the end of the course. That was especially true for life satisfaction, perceived well-being, self-awareness and”, which is especially in the case of ”unconditional-comparing“. Comparison can motivate us to improve, but it can also promote judgmental, biased and overly competitive or superior attitudes. Fortunately, most people have the competency and impulse control to keep their standards for comparison to themselves, and not to act on any envy, jealousy or resentment spurred by comparison-making. But - unfortunately - this unhealthy and repressive social accepted way of dealing with comparison, tend to bubble to the surface and may manifest in other ways.

Why can comparisons make us feel bad?

Comparisons are likelier to make us feel bad when we make the error of only comparing ourselves to paragons of certain traits. For example, many individuals belief they have a less active social life than others. But when making such comparisons, they tend to compare themselves only to the most social people that they know. Being aware of and understanding this bias, can help us to make more realistic and motivating comparisons.

Can social media result in harmful comparisons?

Constantly checking social-media feeds full of images from parties, concerts or other aspirational events can diminish our self-esteem and contribute to depression. However, some research studies have found that such risks primarily affect those individuals with high and unhealthy fixations, and others suggest that social-media use can reinforce self-esteem. For example, when people review their own images of good times with friends and family.

Comparison and Bias

Many people fall into the trap of positional bias, comparing ”up“ more often than ”down“ relative to their own standing. A fascination with celebrity culture and the prevalence of carefully-manicured social-media feeds, merely exacerbates the effect by exposing people to an endless stream of others’ seemingly perfect images, homes, jobs, skills and families.

The 'better-than-average effect'…

It's been widely proven that individuals tend to believe that they are above average, when it comes to desirable traits such as intelligence, for instance. But this belief may not be so stable. For example, people are generally quick to report that they are smarter than average, but somewhat more humble when asked to place themselves in a specific percentile or to rate themselves on specific skills.

How can comparison help us?

Social comparison can be highly beneficial when we use social networks to push ourselves. In a research study conducted, it was found that friendly competition was highly effective in pushing people to exercise more, as peers pushed one another to keep up and do more. In such a ”social ratchet effect“ each person’s activity generates more activity among others. Social networks in which people simply offered each other positive encouragement, were far less helpful.