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In October 2021, National Basketball Association player Kyrie Irving was banned from competing for the Brooklyn Nets because of his resistance to being vaccinated for COVID-19. Two months later, the Nets softened that stance and allowed Irving to participate in road games. This study examines two prongs of the social media response to Irving's vaccination status. A total of 12,000 posts were collected from the U.S.-based Twitter (now known as X; 6,000) and the Chinese-based Weibo (6,000), covering the first week of coverage of Irving and the Nets' announcement. Results showed that Hofstede's cultural dimensions help explain the theme differences, with Twitter's comments reflecting more individualistic notions and lower power distance than Weibo. Moreover, Twitter users focused more on opinion-based expression themes, while Weibo users avoided commenting on the COVID-19 policy. These findings contribute to the literature by identifying the role culture plays in people's response to a social issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the consequences of upward socioeconomic mobility for disenfranchised individuals? This article examines this question in the context of a business training program offered to residents of Brazilian urban slums, known as "favelas." The study employs a randomized controlled trial complemented by quantile regressions, field visits, and interviews. The results show that training improves favela dwellers' economic outcomes, such as by increasing income and participation in entrepreneurship, and some socio-psychological outcomes, such as by improving self-efficacy and optimism. However, these income improvements were accompanied by participants' enhanced experiences of favela stigma, an adverse socio-psychological outcome related to their residential segregation. Both quantitative and qualitative findings demonstrate the multifaceted nature of socioeconomic mobility, through which favela dwellers who prosper economically become more exposed to prejudice from people living outside favelas. The study illustrates, through the "allegory of the favela," the bittersweet process of socioeconomic mobility. This abductive research contributes to the literature by showing that while interventions designed to enfranchise individuals may effectively achieve economic inclusion in terms of income gains, they may simultaneously lead participants into discriminatory systems that further stigmatize people based on the same characteristics of their prior exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising income inequality is taking a toll on people's subjective well-being (SWB), and many commentators have implicated the role of material possessions, and thereby marketing, in this regard. Making a more nuanced argument, this research proposes that certain material possessions—namely, favorite possessions—can mitigate the detrimental psychological effect of income inequality on SWB. In support of this proposition, experimental data from nine countries (N = 3,687) and social media posts from 138 countries (N = 31,332) converge to show that, while SWB generally declines as income inequality increases, encouraging consumers to attend to their favorite possessions can mitigate the negative effect of inequality on SWB. This is because attending to favorite possessions reduces consumers' tendency to make social comparisons related to material resources and wealth, which otherwise arise when income inequality is high. Consequently, even when they perceive high income inequality, consumers feel less deprived relative to others, which buffers their SWB. These findings have meaningful consumer welfare implications. In particular, one way consumers can feel happier with their quality of life in an unequal society is to avoid comparing their material wealth with that of others and instead attend to the material possessions most special to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two recent changes on social media platforms include (1) allowing users to mask the number of "likes" on others' posts, aimed at reducing social comparisons and consequent technology-mediated dangerous behaviors (TMDBs), such as disclosing private information, and (2) adding a "dislike" reaction, aimed at increasing engagement. Nevertheless, the effects of these changes on user behaviors are unclear. In this paper, we seek to address this gap by integrating risk-sensitivity theory (RST) and prospect theory. First, we explain that while masking others' "likes" may reduce social comparison, based on the "homeostatic violation" concept, people also make internal comparisons to expectations. Undesirable deviations from users' expectations of "likes" and "dislikes" (e.g., too few "likes" or too many "dislikes") can motivate TMDBs that users believe can alleviate the undesirable deviations. Thus, we argue that, in addition to social comparison mechanisms, there is an internal comparison mechanism that can motivate TMDBs. We test these claims via five randomized controlled experiments (total n = 1,594). Results show that, beyond social comparison mechanisms, receiving too few "likes" or too many "dislikes," compared to internal expectations, can motivate TMDBs. Moreover, we found that losses loom larger than gains as users are more likely to engage in TMDBs to avoid excess "dislikes" than to avoid deprivation of "likes." These findings make novel contributions to social media research and practice by pointing to an internal comparison mechanism as a potent motivator of TMDBs beyond social comparison processes and to the higher "toxicity" of "dislikes" than "likes" in terms of inciting TMDBs on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This qualitative case study examined students' interpretations of their physical activity (PA) experiences within in-person and online physical education and how that influenced their PA self-efficacy. Method: The study participants were 40 (24 females) current high school students from three different schools who participated in focus group semistructured interviews. Results: Two themes were developed during analysis of the coded data: (a) online participation in PA within physical education was awkward and (b) students had a variety of observational preferences based on perceived and actual similarities/differences between students and their teachers, peers, and people within online videos. Discussion/Conclusion: The design of PA experiences should attempt to support or increase students' PA self-efficacy by limiting students' feelings of being uncomfortable or on display, increasing students' opportunities to learn from each other in comfortable ways, and providing students with detailed demonstrations from teachers and peers with a variety of skill levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While IT workforce research often examines job- and organizational-related reasons for turnover, studies rarely connect the immediate social context of IT work to IT professionals' workplace behavior. To understand the influence of the immediate social context, we develop a social comparison model that connects the social influence of co-worker who have left an organization to turnover among IT professionals who remain. We test our model using a social network of 4,011 IT professionals employed in a large IT firm over four years. We complement our analysis of this data with a multiple-case study with five software development teams. Across the two studies, our results suggest that the departure of an IT professional increases the probability of turnover among remaining coworkers; further, we found that turnover is even more likely when the remaining IT professionals are similar in technical abilities and demographic attributes to the co-worker who left. Our results direct attention to the immediate social context as an influence on the turnover behavior of IT professionals and explain how similarity in domain-specific attributes shapes this turnover behavior. Practitioners should know that a single departure may cause a chain reaction in IT work teams and organizations and find suggestions for assigning new employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee awards programs are prevalent in organizations. This research examines a group of employees who have received relatively less attention in the employee awards literature: those who are nominated for but fail to receive an award. Integrating social comparison theory with the functional theory of counterfactual thinking, we argue that nonwinner nominees go through complex motivational states and affective experiences, which influence their collaboration responsiveness to colleagues. We conducted a field quasi-experiment using 160,830 collaboration records of 494 employees over eight months (Study 1) and a multisource study using survey data and 34,911 collaborative records of 598 employees over two months (Study 2). The results revealed that, compared to non-nominees, nonwinner nominees have lower collaboration responsiveness to winners following the award announcement, especially when they have a higher structural proximity to winners. However, in the long run, nonwinner nominees have higher collaboration responsiveness to others in general. Furthermore, being nominated for but failing to receive an award simultaneously induces nonwinner nominees to experience higher causal-inference counterfactual thinking and negative affect, which exert opposing impacts on nonwinner nominees' collaboration responsiveness. This research advances the understanding of the impact, influencing mechanisms, boundary conditions, and temporal dynamics of employee awards on workplace collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing prevalence of technology-enhanced learning environments, self-regulated learning (SRL) has become a crucial skill for management students and graduates in the 21st century. Self-regulated learners can take control of their own learning process by setting learning objectives and selecting appropriate learning strategies. As a result of the recent COVID-19 crisis, universities were compelled to shift to online course delivery, which greatly reduced social interaction between educators and learners and challenged educators' feedback practices. To address this issue, we developed and embedded a technology-based intervention with temporal-proximate and regular formative feedback assessments in a large-scale management course to promote graduate students' SRL practices. We evaluated the intervention in a quasi-experiment, which found that students with the embedded SRL intervention had higher self-assessment and learning outcome scores and lower absolute self-assessment deviation. Our study makes at least three contributions. First, we shed light on students' SRL strategies in times of emergency remote learning, highlighting their extensive need for social support and comparison. Second, we extend the literature on SRL and social-cognitive theory by unveiling a hidden effect when embedding temporal-proximate and regular interventions. Third, we contribute an empirically evaluated intervention to foster students' SRL in blended learning and online pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines how content of fitfluencers can be employed to improve body satisfaction and intention to exercise among adolescents. Specifically, this experimental study (N = 114 adolescents, age: 16–18) compares the effects of fitfluencer content with instructional captions that contain exercise or workout instructions (as a form of edutainment) with those of self-focused fitfluencer captions that emphasize the fitfluencer's appearance. These two types of captions are found to induce no significant differences in either body satisfaction or intention to exercise. In addition, there were no significant indirect effects via state appearance comparison or self-efficacy. The results do show that less state appearance comparisons increase body satisfaction, and that more self-efficacy increases body satisfaction and intention to exercise. The results suggest that instructions in fitfluencer captions do not differ from self-focused captions in their effects on body satisfaction and intention to exercise among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how institutional frameworks and social comparisons shape perceptions of gender inequality, focusing on the role of perceived effort. Using data from a national survey on gender inequality in Spain, we explore how historical perspectives and contemporary perceptions converge to influence the belief that women must exert more effort than men to achieve the same level of competence. The findings indicate that this perception persists, despite advancements in equality policies. The study makes a significant contribution by identifying "perceived effort" as a key driver of gender inequality, both in corporate and entrepreneurial settings. These results provide practical insights for public policy, highlighting the need for targeted interventions that address not only structural disparities but also deeply ingrained social perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDrawing on Theory of Compensatory Internet Use and Social Comparison Theory, the study explores how compulsive use of social media can lead to impulsive and compulsive buying behaviors among young adults in India. Findings reveal that compulsive social media use positively correlates with both impulsive and compulsive buying behaviors. This relationship is significant mediated by social comparison and FoMO, suggesting that users who frequently engage in social media are more likely to compare themselves to others and experience anxiety over missing out, thereby driving them towards unrestrained buying. Additionally, self-esteem negatively significant moderates these relationships, with individuals possessing high self-esteem less likely to succumb to impulsive and compulsive buying due to social comparison and FoMO. Research contributes significantly to digital marketing field by offering insights into the darker aspects of social media’s impact on consumer behaviour. Furthermore, study’s conceptual model integrates compensatory internet use theory and social comparison theory, providing a novel framework for future research on digital consumption behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study explores the phenomenon of envy directed towards the opposite sex. Envy is a complex emotion that can manifest in various forms, often reflecting societal and biological influences. Previous research suggests a potential imbalance in the domains where men and women experience envy. Methods: The research was conducted in the Czech Republic using a demographically representative sample of 1,769 individuals (867 men and 902 women). Respondents were asked what they envied about the opposite sex, and qualitative analysis was performed on their answers. A total of 32 distinct categories of envy were identified. Results: The analysis revealed significant differences between men and women in the nature of their envy. Women expressed envy towards men in domains linked to biological conditions and social advantages, such as salary, prestige, physical strength, and the absence of menstruation, childbirth, and menopause. Men, on the other hand, envied women for their physical attractiveness, ease of seduction, ability to perform traditionally female tasks, and motherhood. Some categories, such as safety and tolerance, were shared by both genders, but the underlying reasons differed. For instance, women envied men for not having to fear being alone, while men envied women for being protected by men. Discussion: These findings confirm existing evidence of a gender imbalance in envy. The study also uncovered a novel form of envy, termed "ablative envy", which refers to the desire for the absence of an unpleasant quality. This suggests that envy between the sexes is deeply rooted in both biological and social factors, offering new insights into gender dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this registered report is to investigate how the core components of subjective wellbeing, Life Satisfaction (LS) and Emotional Wellbeing (EWB), differ with respect to their relationship to antecedent factors. Seven factors are proposed that have been found in previous research to antecede LS and EWB. Social Comparisons, Meaningfulness, Economic/Social Resources, and Opportunities are hypothesized to correlate more closely with LS than EWB, while Time Use, Hassles/Uplifts, and Neuroticism are hypothesized to correlate more strongly with EWB than LS. A combined online and paper-and-pencil survey was administered to a representative sample of 974 Swedish citizens aged 15 years or older. LS and EWB were measured by self-report methods that have been developed and used in previous research. Index measures were constructed from self-reports of each antecedent factor by means of ratings on two scales developed in this study. Multivariate regression and relative weight analyses confirmed two of the hypotheses in showing that Economic/Social Resources and Opportunities were significantly more strongly related with LS than EWB. Of those hypothesized to correlate more strongly with EWB than LS, support was obtained for Neuroticism. Social Comparisons, Meaningfulness, Time Use, and Hassles/Uplifts did not have different relationships with LS and EWB. The results confirm that to some extent antecedent factors are differentially associated with LS and EWB, thus contributing to a better understanding of the antecedents of the cognitive and affective components of subjective wellbeing. Future research should further explore the mechanisms underlying these different relationships as well as moderators and mediators of the relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical, psychological and social changes that occur during adolescence constitute a physiological crisis that is necessary for development and growth. The establishment of a suitable "self-image" is important for facilitating harmonious psychophysical development during this time. In the current era, digital technology (DT) serves as an extraordinary means of communication for young people, who make significant use of images as a mode of expression. Accordingly, there is growing interest in the relationship between physical development, self-image and use of DT. A review of the published literature on the topic was carried out in April 2024. Fourteen studies (n = 14) were inclused from search of electronic databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, MedLine, and Cochrane Library. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of (DT) on cultural models of adolescent body image, and how this "social" culture can affect wellbeing and development. It was considered that the rise of DT and social media (SM) emphasized in young people the culture of appearance, adherence to ideal models (thinness ideal) and social comparison at an unprecedented level. It was estimated that the digital mechanism works on the adolescent's vulnerability and stimulates the desire for experimentation and amplifies cultural beliefs that expose the young to deviant or pathological behaviors on the body. The use of digital images emphasizes the perception of self by making it more real and alive but empty of content. Our framework highlights that the adolescent can defend himself if he leaves the homologation that the SM condition, regains his own experiences, fill with emotional content and real life the images and the representation of the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women age 40–60 are disproportionately affected by health problems that increase their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD; e.g. hypertension). Social comparisons (i.e. self‐evaluations relative to others) are known to influence health in this and other groups, but their nature and consequences in daily life are poorly understood. We conducted an ecological momentary assessment study over 10 days (5x/day) with 75 women ages 40–60 who had ≥1 CVD risk conditions (MAge = 51.6 years, MBMI = 34.0 kg/m2). Using a mix of frequentist and Bayesian analytic approaches, we examined characteristics of women's naturally occurring comparisons and tested predictions from the Identification/Contrast Model within‐person (e.g. identifying with an upward target results in positive affect, whereas contrasting results in negative affect). Comparisons occurred at 21% of moments, with considerable within‐person variability in response. In line with predictions from the Identification/Contrast Model, women were more likely to experience positive affect after upward identification or downward contrast and more likely to experience negative affect after upward contrast or downward identification, though observed nuances warrant additional consideration. Overall, findings support the Identification/Contrast Model to describe women's comparison experiences as they occur in daily life. Future work should determine pathways between the immediate consequences of comparisons and longer‐term health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers have studied the effects of ability grouping on students' academic self-concept due to its critical importance for students' educational choices and trajectories. However, the available evidence is almost exclusively correlational, the results are inconsistent, and it is thus unclear how ability grouping may influence students' academic self-concept. This study applies causal inference methods to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of math ability grouping on students' math self-concept. Using a quasi-experimental design and following students who transitioned from elementary school (Grade 6) to middle school (Grade 7) with or without ability grouping (N = 1,660, 90% White, 53% female), we investigated whether between-class math ability grouping impacts seventh graders' formation of their math self-concept through comparative processes (social and dimensional comparisons) and objective performance information. Through propensity score weighting and average marginal effect estimation, we found that high-grouped students reported lower math self-concepts than high-achieving ungrouped students, and low-grouped students reported higher math self-concepts than low-achieving ungrouped students at the end of Grade 7. Average-achieving students attending schools with a between-class grouping policy showed stronger dimensional comparison effects than their ungrouped counterparts. The effects of prior math performance on math self-concept were nonsignificant for high- and low-achieving students, regardless of their grouping status. These findings advance our understanding of how pervasive school practices, such as ability grouping, shape students' self-relevant motivational beliefs. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: The adverse effects of academic tracking on students' academic self-concept are one of the main reasons educational psychologists argue against this practice, but the available, primarily correlational, evidence is inconclusive. This study used causal inference methods in a sample of students transitioning from an untracked elementary school to a middle school with or without between-class ability grouping practices. Between-class ability grouping was linked to enhanced math ability self-concepts of low-performing students but diminished math ability self-concepts of high-performing students due to social comparisons with peers. Furthermore, between-class ability grouping seems to nudge students to compare their strengths and weaknesses across math and verbal domains, potentially influencing early specialization in one of these domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social comparison is central in human life and can be especially challenging in depression and social anxiety. We assessed event‐related potentials and emotions using a social comparison task in which participants received feedback on both their own and a co‐player's performance, in participants with depression and/or social anxiety (n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 72). Participants reported more negative emotions for downward (being better than the co‐player [participant correct, co‐player wrong]) and upward (being worse than the co‐player [participant wrong, co‐player correct]) comparisons versus even outcomes, with these effects being stronger in depression and social anxiety. At the Medial Frontal Negativity, both controls and depressed participants showed a more negative amplitude for upward comparison versus both the participant and co‐player performing wrong. Socially anxious subjects showed the opposite effect, possibly due to greater expectations about being worse than others. The P300 decreased for downward and upward comparisons compared to even outcomes, which may relate to the higher levels of conflict of social inequality. Depressed and socially anxious subjects showed a blunted P300 increase over time in response to the task outcomes, suggesting deficits in allocating resources for the attention of incoming social information. The LPP showed increased amplitude for downward and upward comparison versus the even outcomes and no group effect. Emotional findings suggest that social comparisons are more difficult for depressed and socially anxious individuals. Event‐related potentials findings may shed light on the neural substrates of these difficulties. This is the first study investigating neural responses to social comparison in participants with symptoms of depression and social anxiety, and healthy controls. Results showed heightened negative emotions and distinct event‐related potentials in participants with these disorders compared to controls. Findings suggest difficulties in dealing with the cognitive and emotional demands of social comparison in depression and social anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the authors investigate how high unemployment and sustained economic crisis influence employee beliefs regarding their employers' psychological contract (PC) obligations. Based on 32 semi-structured interviews with Greek white-collar employees, the authors compare PC changes among workers with pre-crisis work experience and others whose entire work lives coincide with the crisis. The majority of participants perceive their employer to exploit the crisis, demanding more of workers while offering them less. Those participants who remained with their pre-crisis employer held more positive perceptions. At the same time, social comparison and sense of gratitude influence how individuals interpret their employee–employer obligations. These factors buffer how individuals interpret their employer's PC fulfillment in the crisis economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing adoption of smart meters enables the measurement of households' energy consumption, influenced not solely by building characteristics such as thermal insulation but also by residents' behavioural patterns, such as heating and ventilation practices. To motivate residents to adopt more sustainable behaviours, user interfaces on smartphones and laptops are increasingly using consumption data from households' smart meters to enable effective goal‐setting. In contrast to previous research largely focusing on goal‐setting in isolation, this study examines the role of specific social comparison‐related design features that future research and practitioners can consider along with goal‐setting to stimulate sustainable behaviours. Specifically, we look into the influence of residents' perception of their relative performance (i.e., whether their behaviour was better or worse than a reference group) on their ambition to act (i.e., targeted improvement goal) and their actual energy consumption behaviour. Moreover, we investigate the influence of a goal's evaluative standard (i.e., whether the goal refers to one's own or other's performance) on the relationship between relative performance, ambition to act, and energy consumption behaviour. Drawing on social comparison theory, we conducted a framed field experiment with 152 households. We find that a goal's evaluative standard influences residents' awareness of their relative performance, affecting their ambition to act and, ultimately, their energy consumption behaviour. More specifically, we find that whereas other‐ (vs. self‐) referencing goals encourage residents from worse‐than‐average performing households more strongly to improve their energy consumption behaviour, they discourage better‐than‐average ones. Overall, our study provides novel insights into the interplay between relative performance and evaluative standards as a means of fostering social comparison in smart meter‐facilitated goal‐setting, highlighting their crucial role in effectively supporting sustainable behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social comparison theory provides valuable insights into how individuals assess themselves by comparing various facets of their lives to others. This theory offers a framework that helps in understanding the motivations behind self‐evaluation and improvement, as well as shaping consumer behaviors. The extensive body of research related to the theory has resulted in numerous publications across various domains, hindering a comprehensive overview of the research field and constraining its progress. Our multi‐disciplinary study addresses the fragmented scholarly landscape through a hierarchical bibliometric analysis, unveiling key authors, themes, and connections, and emphasizing its current state and future potential, particularly in the marketing domain. Our research indicates that interest in social comparison theory has surged, driven by social media's impact on body image and self‐esteem. Our findings also highlight the significance of themes such as body image, envy, social media, motivation, and life satisfaction, revealing the multifaceted expansion of the theory across various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In six randomized online experiments with 2,647 medical doctors we test whether – depending on the choice architecture – physicians engaged in prescribing decisions in public organizations fall prey to systematic error (i.e. bias) and make significantly different choices when faced with the same clinical case (i.e. level noise). Results show that experts tend to make irrational choices that are influenced by outgroup bias, social comparison, past behaviour, confirmation bias, loss aversion, equivalence framing, and asymmetric dominance. We also find evidence of significant level noise, that is, between-prescriber variability, with the distribution of responses differing remarkably across experimental arms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital platforms present consumers with contrasting visual narratives, from images of opulence to depictions of poverty. This study delves into the strategic implications of such dichotomous exposures, anchored in Social Comparison Theory. Three experiments (∑ N = 1665) investigated how portrayals of affluence and deprivation influence audience behaviors, specifically egoistic luxury spending versus altruistic charitable giving. Experiment 1a employed a 2 (exposure to photos of poverty versus affluence) x 2 (luxury spending versus charitable giving scenario as the within-subjects factor) mixed factorial design. Experiment 1b employed a 2 (poverty versus affluence) x 2 (luxury spending versus charitable giving) between-subjects factorial design. Experiment 2 employed a 3 (poverty versus affluence versus neutral photos) x 2 (anonymized versus publicized donation) between-subjects factorial design to further examine the interaction effects of social comparison direction and donation mode. Empirical findings highlight that downward social comparison (exposure to poverty) can amplify charitable inclinations, while upward comparison (exposure to affluence) can enhance conspicuous consumption. Individual difference factors such as materialism, need for status, social comparison orientation, and greed play pivotal roles in moderating these effects. This research contributes to the understanding of digital portrayal influences on consumers' spending behavior, offering both theoretical insights and practical implications for strategic communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main question of this paper is how people may agree in their interpersonal comparisons of wellbeing. These comparisons are important in social ethics and for policy purposes. The paper firstly examines grounds for convergence in easy cases. Then comes a more difficult case of low convergence in order to explore a way to increase it. For this, concepts from the empirical subjective well-being literature are used: life satisfaction and vignettes. Ideas of John Harsanyi and Serge Kolm thereby receive a new look. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: This study examines whether competitive pressure from peers within a local office (i.e., internal competition) affects audit partners' audit pricing decisions. Using U.S. audit partner data from 2016 to 2022, we find that audit partners respond to internal competition by charging their clients lower audit fees. The effect is more pronounced for initial audit engagements, in more competitive local audit markets, and when peers share similar personal attributes, such as sex and experience. However, the effect is weaker for industry specialist audit partners. We also find evidence that internal competition is negatively associated with audit quality for non-Big 4 clients. Overall, this study provides initial evidence of the effect of internal competition among audit partners on audit outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the boundary conditions between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification. In addition, we aim to investigate the mediation patterns between objective overqualification, perceived overqualification and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: A two-wave survey was conducted with 382 new entrants of job market. Data was analyzed with Process 3.5 in SPSS 26.0 to test the hypothesized moderated mediation model. Findings: Results indicated that perceived overqualification fully mediated the relationship between objective overqualification and job satisfaction. In addition, the relationship between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification was significant unless employees perceived high internal employment opportunities but low external employment opportunities at the same time. Same moderating pattern was also evident in the indirect effect of objective overqualification? Perceived overqualification? Job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: This study has theoretical and practical implications for personnel management. Theoretically, this study contributed to the understanding of the relationship between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification. Practically, this study found that offering internal employment opportunities can mitigate the perception of overqualification when employees perceive limited external employment opportunities. Originality/value: This is one of few studies that stressed the boundary conditions between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification under the framework of relative deprivation theory. In addition, this study provided time-lagged evidence of the relationship between objective overqualification, perceived overqualification and job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on social comparison theory, this study investigates the associations between social comparison to influencers on social media and impulsive purchase behavior, through the mediating effect of anxiety and social media addiction. Data from 296 U.S. consumers were collected through an online survey. The findings show that negative social comparison to the image presented by influencers is positively associated with consumers' impulse buying. Furthermore, anxiety and social media addiction mediated the impact of social comparison on purchase intention. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affiliation is a basic human need, especially during difficult times. To what extent did the need to affiliate limit our capacity to abide by health guidelines, in particular regarding social distancing, during the COVID-19 pandemic? We investigated this issue using questionnaire data from two samples of the French population collected during the first French lockdown (April-May 2020). We found that in men, higher social comparison orientation (sensitivity to the needs of others and inclination to help) and higher perceived threat increased the frequency of reported affiliative activities. At the same time, men's reported affiliative activities were associated with a lower reported intention to abide by lockdown and protective measures and lower levels of reported compliance. This pattern was not found in women. The women in our samples, as has been observed elsewhere, were largely compliant, potentially precluding any effects of affiliative needs. Basic though they may seem, affiliative needs and reported affiliative activities may have played a significant role in the implementation of sanitary guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Based on their place of employment, workers with agricultural hukou (WAH) are categorized into local workers with agricultural hukou (LWAH) and migrant workers with agricultural hukou (MWAH). Research shows that although LWAH often find themselves at a disadvantage in terms of labour income and access to public services, the significant growth of this group in recent years has drawn attention to their choice of workplace and the factors influencing it. Guided by the theories of self-determination and social comparison, this study aims to explore the impact of the differences between LWAH and MWAH in psychological needs and social comparisons on life satisfaction, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Methods: This study utilizes data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2014 to 2020, employing a two-way fixed effects model to investigate the differences in life satisfaction between 1,976 LWAH and MWAH. Additionally, propensity score matching (PSM) is used to conduct regression analysis on the matched sample, providing a more accurate comparison of life satisfaction between LWAH and MWAH under similar individual characteristics. Finally, the study further examines the mediating effects of perceived social status and job satisfaction and analyses the differences in life satisfaction between LWAH and MWAH across dimensions such as generation, region, and work conditions. Results: The baseline regression results indicate that LWAH have significantly higher life satisfaction compared to MWAH, and this finding is robust to various tests. Mediation analysis reveals that perceived social status plays a mediating role in the difference in life satisfaction between LWAH and MWAH, while job satisfaction does not have a significant mediating effect. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that intergenerational, regional, and work condition differences have varying impacts on the life satisfaction of two groups. Conclusions: This study provides important insights into understanding the workplace choices and quality of life of Chinese workers with agricultural hukou. Finally, to effectively promote situ urbanization processes, local governments need to prioritize enhancing workers with agricultural hukou (WAH)'s autonomy, sense of competence, and social status, thereby improving their perceived social status in society and attracting more labourers to return to their hometowns for work and entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Method Results Conclusions The trauma and social pathways model of psychosis proposes interactions between trauma, attachment, social rank and dissociation in pathways to psychosis, though this model has yet to be empirically investigated. The primary aim of this study was to examine the overall predictive value of the trauma and social pathways model using regression analysis. A secondary aim was to delineate hypothesized pathways between trauma and positive symptoms of psychosis using serial mediation analysis.This was a cross‐sectional study of people attending mental health services for a psychosis‐related diagnosis (N = 71). Measures of trauma, positive symptoms of psychosis, attachment, social comparison and dissociation were completed.A model of recurrent trauma, insecure attachment, social rank and dissociation predicted 23.2% of the variance in positive symptoms of psychosis. Recurrent trauma, attachment and dissociation contributed significantly to the model, while social rank did not. Further, serial mediation analysis indicated that the sequence of disorganized attachment and dissociation fully mediated the relationship between recurrent trauma and positive symptoms.Results provide preliminary support for the trauma and social pathways model of psychosis, specifically as it relates to recurrent trauma, insecure attachment and dissociation. Results did not support the social rank component of this model, however. These findings provide clear targets for the development of next‐wave psychological interventions that focus on trauma‐related variables in psychosis. Future studies should replicate these findings with a larger clinical sample, and consider a measure of shame to further elucidate social processes in pathways to psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimsMethodsResultsConclusionTo investigate what it is about community-based perinatal mental health peer support from trained volunteers that works, for whom, in what circumstances, in what respects, and why; and build a change model that includes positive and negative mechanisms and outcomes.Realist evaluation methods based on semi-structured interviews were used to create a change model for a third sector programme in England.Mothers who received peer support (n = 20), peer support volunteers (n = 27), and programme staff (n = 9) were interviewed. Positive impact on mothers was primarily based on feeling understood and accepted, social comparison (including normalisation, hope, and gaining perspective) and sharing non-directive information from experiential knowledge. Negative impact on mothers was based on negative social comparison, or absence of key peer support mechanisms. Mothers were affected in different ways, depending on individual contexts: their backgrounds, personalities, social situations, resources, experiences, beliefs, and needs. Some different mechanisms were present in one-to-one and group situations. All participants considered the benefits of peer support to greatly outweigh the risks.Individual contextual factors affect the multiple mechanisms through which mental health peer support can improve mothers’ emotional wellbeing and social participation. Peer support has potential risks as well as benefits, which can be mitigated. Programmes could use this understanding of how contexts and mechanisms interact to produce peer support outcomes to improve training for peer support volunteers and to design future evaluations that take into account diversity of peer support experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With growing involution in contemporary China, academic stress and sleep quality have become two noticeable issues among Chinese college students. Amid this background, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between academic stress and sleep quality, and the potential mediating mechanisms and antecedents to this relationship. First, we developed a Perceived Academic Stress Scale for Chinese Undergraduate Students (PASSCUS) in the pilot study. Demonstrating satisfactory psychometric quality, this scale effectively distinguishes between academic stress caused by the (lasting) education involution and that caused by (episodic) academic workload. In the main study, we tested an integrated theoretical model on the relationship between perceived academic stress (using PASSCUS) and sleep quality to understand the mediating mechanism through which academic stress predicts sleep quality among a convenient sample of 466 participants. Consistent with our expectations, we found that academic stress predicted social comparison, which predicted bedtime procrastination, which further predicted worse sleep quality. Furthermore, our hypotheses were also supported that cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression emotion regulation strategies contributed to academic stress. Whereas cognitive reappraisal negatively predicted perceived academic stress, expressive suppression positively predicted perceived academic stress. Additionally, the relationship between expressive suppression and perceived lasting academic stress was stronger than that between expressive suppression and episodic academic stress. Taken together, this study introduces PASSCUS as a valuable tool for distinguishing between types of academic stress while also elucidating the specific pathways through which these stress types impact sleep quality. Moreover, our findings pointed to the potential for reducing college students' problems of academic stress and sleep quality by improving emotion regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractGen Z’s interest in ethical consumption, including tourism, is growing in response to pressing global challenges. However, there is limited research on the constraints tied to the ethical travel decisions of this young cohort of travelers. This qualitative study, grounded in the theory of constraints and ethical consumerism literature, addresses this gap. The findings reveal multi-layered and interrelated constraints categorized as intrapersonal (cognitive dissonance, risk aversion, consumption inertia), interpersonal (green stigma, family dynamics, social comparison), and structural (limited accessibility, financial restrictions). This study extends the theory of constraints by showing that these constraints do not act in isolation but interact dynamically, with intrapersonal constraints often triggering interpersonal and structural ones, while certain barriers reinforce others. Unlike previous research that treats these constraints as independent, our findings reveal their sequential and context-dependent nature, offering new insights into how these constraints interrelate in shaping ethical travel decisions and practices. By highlighting the complexity of ethical decision-making—including conflicting principles, ambiguity, and social influences—this study offers a novel, theoretically-grounded perspective on the constraints faced by Gen Z, often labelled the “greenest” generation. Practically, these findings inform targeted interventions and policy initiatives to enable ethical tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPrevious research evident that social media provides a platform to individuals social comparison, namely social comparison on social media (USC-SM). Drawing from social comparison theory, this study explores the creative consequences of such USC-SM, focusing on the underlying mechanism of emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the study examines how social media dependency influences these emotional experiences resulting from USC-SM. Results of data collected from 435 employees and their supervisors through a multi-source, two-wave survey reveal that employees who engage in USC-SM platforms tend to experience emotional exhaustion, thereby detrimentally impacting their creativity. Furthermore, this research found that the extent of an employee’s dependence on social media for work tasks serves as moderator which strengthens the underlying relationship. This study makes a significant contribution to the existing literature on social media use and its effect on employee creativity. Theoretical contributions and practical guidelines are discussed in the subsequent sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a passive information behavior, information avoidance (IA) may undermine the sustainable development of social media platforms. Previous research has focused on the enabling effect of negative cognitions and emotions on IA, and has seldom considered the inhibitors of IA. This research tries to fill the gap by integrating a dual perspective of both enablers and inhibitors. Drawing on the cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) and psychological empowerment theory (PET), this research examined social media users' IA. We adopted a mixed method of structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to conduct data analysis. The results showed that social support (SS) and information quality (IQ) affect psychological empowerment (PE), which further inhibits IA. In contrast, social comparison (SC), and perceived overload (PO) affect cognitive dissonance, which leads to IA. The fsQCA results found three paths that trigger users' IA. The results imply that social media platforms need to mitigate cognitive dissonance and enhance PE in order to prevent users' IA. This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the development process of IA. The limitation is that the results need to be generalized to other samples, such as the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the prospective association between self-concept clarity and sociocultural appearance processes (internalization of the thin-body ideal and appearance-based social comparisons). Adolescent girls (n = 153; mean age = 15.76 years) completed measures at two separate timepoints, three months apart. Path analysis showed that lower self-concept clarity prospectively predicted higher thin-ideal internalization and appearance comparisons. In contrast, the reverse model showed that thin-ideal internalization and appearance comparisons did not prospectively predict self-concept clarity. Finally, including self-esteem in the model showed that self-concept clarity, but not self-esteem, prospectively predicted thin-ideal internalization and appearance comparisons. These findings suggest that low self-concept clarity may increase vulnerability to sociocultural appearance processes that increase the risk for body dissatisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this registered report is to investigate how the core components of subjective wellbeing, Life Satisfaction (LS) and Emotional Wellbeing (EWB), differ with respect to their relationship to antecedent factors. Seven factors are proposed that have been found in previous research to antecede LS and EWB. Social Comparisons, Meaningfulness, Economic/Social Resources, and Opportunities are hypothesized to correlate more closely with LS than EWB, while Time Use, Hassles/Uplifts, and Neuroticism are hypothesized to correlate more strongly with EWB than LS. A combined online and paper-and-pencil survey was administered to a representative sample of 974 Swedish citizens aged 15 years or older. LS and EWB were measured by self-report methods that have been developed and used in previous research. Index measures were constructed from self-reports of each antecedent factor by means of ratings on two scales developed in this study. Multivariate regression and relative weight analyses confirmed two of the hypotheses in showing that Economic/Social Resources and Opportunities were significantly more strongly related with LS than EWB. Of those hypothesized to correlate more strongly with EWB than LS, support was obtained for Neuroticism. Social Comparisons, Meaningfulness, Time Use, and Hassles/Uplifts did not have different relationships with LS and EWB. The results confirmthat to some extent antecedent factors are differentially associated with LS and EWB, thus contributing to a better understanding of the antecedents of the cognitive and affective components of subjective wellbeing. Future research should further explore the mechanisms underlying these different relationships as well as moderators and mediators of the relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article integrates interdisciplinary insights in an analytical framework and aims to examine what factors matter more for happiness than income in China from a sociological perspective. The study emphasizes the importance of social contexts and adopts a mixed‐methods approach. Quantitative analysis of the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey data shows that intentional activities, social attitudes, and social comparison are significantly associated with Chinese people's happiness after economic circumstances and sociodemographic characteristics have been taken into account as control variables. In addition, qualitative analysis of in‐depth interviews helps to contextualize the quantitative findings and to enrich the understanding of why these factors rather than income would play a more significant role in making people happy in China. This study demonstrates the value of investigating happiness across disciplinary boundaries and makes an empirical contribution to examining subjective well‐being in contemporary society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on social media's impact on body esteem has dominantly centered on usage frequency, overlooking the varied effects of different types of social media content on body esteem. Drawing on the tripartite influence model and social comparison theory, this study investigated how varied exposure to appearance-related content on social media predicts body esteem through social comparison. A total of 554 Chinese young females aged between 18 and 29 (M = 21.6, SD = 2.1) participated in an online survey. Results showed that exposure to idealized content was positively associated with upward appearance comparison, leading to decreased body esteem concerning weight and appearance. Exposure to idealized content was also positively linked to downward appearance comparison, reducing body esteem concerning appearance. Exposure to non-idealized content was negatively associated with upward appearance comparison, dampening comparison's negative influence on body esteem. A multi-group analysis revealed that the effects of exposure to idealized social media content on upward comparison were significantly intensified among females with a high level of trait self-objectification. Implications for shaping a body-positive image on social media among young females were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a decision-making problem where a group must select an action from risky lotteries to receive a payoff that needs to be distributed among the group members, the group's external risky choice and internal resource allocation emerge as two critical and interrelated subproblems. Individuals unconsciously exhibit social comparison behavior in many group contexts, profoundly impacting their payoff preferences. In this study, we first formulate a novel group resource allocation model and explore how the allocation equality of group resource is influenced by social comparisons. Particularly, we discuss the non-dictatorship condition under social comparison effects, which guarantees an extreme case of group resource allocation, i.e., "winner-take-all," does not appear. Subsequently, we investigate the group risky choice under the effects of social comparison. The main results show that (1) introducing social comparison effects can increase allocation equality when loss aversion is high but decrease allocation equality when loss aversion is low, and (2) the classical risk sharing rule still holds in the group under social comparison effects, but introducing social comparison effects will lead to the group being more risk averse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social comparison is a universal social phenomenon that profoundly influences aggressive behaviours among young adults. Based on the general aggression model, this study investigated the relationship between social comparison and aggression, and the mediating role of relative deprivation. To further explore the mechanism underlying this influence, covert narcissism was examined as a moderator in this relationship, based on relative deprivation theory. The results from the current study using a total of 726 Chinese college students showed that social comparison was positively correlated with aggression, which was mediated by relative deprivation. Specifically, more frequent social comparison was associated with higher relative deprivation, which was, in turn, associated with higher aggression. Covert narcissism acted as a moderator in this model. Covert narcissism exacerbated the relationships between social comparison and relative deprivation and relative deprivation and aggression. Specifically, compared to individuals with low levels of covert narcissism, those with high levels of covert narcissism exhibited greater relative deprivation when subjected to the same social comparisons, subsequently displaying increased levels of aggression. This study deepens the understanding of the relationship between social comparison and aggression and provides an intervention direction and a theoretical basis for effectively preventing aggression in young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeing that the culture and governance of competition determines relations among social actors, we turn to the concept of referentiality to investigate the institutional order of competition in higher education. Defining referentiality as the description of a model standard for comparison, this study explores how higher education organizations (HEOs), specifically universities and colleges in Israel, conceive of their positions in a landscape of multiple competitions. Through text analysis of 33 excellence statements made by Israeli HEOs since 2020, the study identifies components of referentiality, namely the substantive dimension of excellence (such as research, innovation, teaching, or sports), the basis for referencing (ranking scales and agencies), and the referent (global or local models). Findings reveal that the multiplicity of components for comparability, as well as the multiple categories of HEOs, create a complex array of referentiality and competition and outline the reference universe of Israeli HEOs. Our study underscores the performative and agentic nature of referentiality in shaping organizational identity and status in the expansive and highly competitive global academic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are conservatives as competent as liberals? Are liberals as competent as conservatives? Logically, one might assume agreement with one implies agreement with the other. However, we found that people rely on contrast modeling when making these types of similarity judgements. Specifically, people use their own social identity as a metric for weighing evaluative statements asymmetrically based on how they are framed (i.e., which group comes first). Thus, conservatives agree more strongly with the first framing of the statement, while liberals agree more strongly with the second, despite similar semantic meanings underlying both statements. Four studies (N = 1,405) examined the cognitive processes leading to this similarity judgement. Further, we show that identity centrality moderates reliance on contrast modeling. Our findings suggest that cognitive mechanisms underlying social group comparisons are analogous to the mechanisms used to compare nonsocial categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social comparison, the process of evaluating one's characteristics in relation to others, influences individuals' self‐perception and behavior. However, instruments are scarce for assessing social comparison in the medical setting. Objectives: Our aim was to develop and validate a new scale for assessing social comparison. Materials and methods: Seven statements were developed, encompassing the perceived normality of having rashes, the tendency to compare their situation with others, and the emotional response when seeing someone better or worse off than themselves. The instrument was piloted in 15 patients for readability and face validity, then prospectively validated using modern psychometric methods in 1,053 adult patients with eczema or psoriasis from three tertiary dermatological centers in Singapore. Results: Of 1,053 adult patients, 802 (76.2%) had eczema, and 251 (23.8%) had psoriasis. Exploratory factor analysis (using a 70% sample split) showed a single factor model comprising three questions (Eigenvalue: 1.4). Confirmatory factor analysis with the remaining 30% of the sample confirmed an excellent model fit. Cronbach's alpha was 0.7, and inter‐item correlations ranged from 0.42 to 0.46. In the Rasch analysis, item fit statistics and item characteristic curves showed appropriate discrimination between response options, although reliability was suboptimal with a person separation reliability of 0.63. Conclusions: Comprising 3 questions, the newly derived social comparison scale showed acceptable psychometrics as a measure of social comparison for clinical and research purposes in dermatology. Its brief nature likely results from its brevity and applicability to conditions beyond eczema and psoriasis, which warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many societal challenges are threshold dilemmas requiring people to cooperate to reach a threshold before group benefits can be reaped. Yet receiving feedback about others' outcomes relative to one's own (relative feedback) can undermine cooperation by focusing group members' attention on outperforming each other. We investigated the impact of relative feedback compared to individual feedback (only seeing one's own outcome) on cooperation in children from Germany and India (6- to 10-year-olds, N = 240). Using a threshold public-goods game with real water as a resource, we show that, although feedback had an effect, most groups sustained cooperation at high levels in both feedback conditions until the end of the game. Analyses of children's communication (14,374 codable utterances) revealed more references to social comparisons and more verbal efforts to coordinate in the relative-feedback condition. Thresholds can mitigate the most adverse effects of social comparisons by focusing attention on a common goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research has shown that online social comparison can affect perceptions of self-esteem and body image. Purpose of the study: This study focussed on social comparison on Instagram and its relationship with levels of self-esteem and body-esteem. Materials and methods: Levels of self-esteem and body-esteem were measured using self-report questionnaires, before and after viewing Instagram images eliciting upward, downward, or no comparison. Results: Statistical analysis showed self-esteem and body-esteem scores significantly increased after downward comparison, with no change in scores following a neutral condition. Body-esteem scores significantly decreased after upward comparison, whilst self-esteem scores did not. Support for social comparison theory is provided. Conclusions: Future research and implications are discussed, such as educating young people about posting and viewing of overly positive images on social media. Social media organisations could provide access to resources which provide advice about mental health issues and support for individuals wanting to discuss body image issues. Future research could potentially establish if participants' views about eating change after engaging in differing levels of social comparison on Instagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brands often encourage consumers to compare themselves to two types of standards: other people (i.e., social comparisons) and their own past (i.e., temporal comparisons). Although research has drawn many parallels between these two self‐comparisons, relatively little work has examined how they diverge. Moreover, existing research on their differences focuses on individuals engaging in—rather than brands encouraging—different self‐comparisons. The present research identifies moral perceptions as one critical dimension on which brand‐elicited temporal and social comparisons differ. Four studies find that evoking downward social (vs. temporal) comparisons undermines brand morality perceptions and, consequently, brand evaluations and choice. Providing preliminary insight into the mechanism, when brands evoke downward social (vs. temporal) comparisons, consumers perceive them as promoting status‐seeking behavior, which mediates morality judgments. Furthermore, the effects of comparison type are eliminated among consumers with stronger status motives—those who are less prone to condemn status‐seeking behavior. Altogether, these findings reveal a lay belief in the moral superiority of downward temporal (vs. social) comparisons and the downstream consequences for brands that elicit such comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarly literature has demonstrated that hybridity transforms both legacy and new media, but that this change is not even. We treat social media platforms as arenas of remediation, where users share and add their own context to information produced by both media subtypes and compare social media conversations about migration in six European languages that include links to either traditional or new media during 2015–2019. We use a mix of computational and statistical methods to analyze 3.5 million (re)tweets and 500,000 links shared within them. We identify the main differences in agenda setting power, function, and tone present within tweets that include links to legacy or new media. Our results show that discourses are similar across languages but clearly different when remediating legacy and new media. Trust in legacy media is correlated with higher proportion of shared links from legacy media and reversely related to the proportion of shared links from new media sources. Considering the volume and timing of the remediated content, we conclude that legacy media retains its agenda setting power. New media linked content tends to cover migration in association to subjects such as Islam or terrorism and to express strong critical opinions against migrants/refugees. The language used is more toxic than in legacy media linked content. The tweets remediating legacy media articles covered topics like domestic or European politics, causes of refugee arrivals and procedures to give them protection. Thus, legacy and new media remediated content differs in both tone and function: toxicity is low and factuality high for content linking to legacy media, with the reverse being true for new media remediations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]