Social Comparison Theory

It has long been known that the social context in which we see others affects the way we perceive them. Studies on social comparison began as early as the 1930’s with Sherif’s pioneering research on the effects groups had on the development of one’s reality. In his 1936 study, Sherif designed a box that showed a pinprick of light. He then asked participants to report when they saw the light begin to move and how far they estimated it had moved from its beginning location. Unbeknownst to the participants, the light never actually moved. As the experiment carried on, it was discovered each participant would develop a unique reference point from which they always measured the light’s movement. However when participants were exposed to the light

Social comparison theory states that individuals desire to determine the accuracy of their beliefs and behavior. As stated by Festinger (1954), people will judge their behaviors and opinions by comparison to the behaviors and opinions of others. Furthermore, individuals are more likely to compare behaviors and opinions to those of individuals who are similar to themselves. The more different one is from another, the less likely it is that they will be influenced by each other. In the context of a social group, Festinger stated that the members of a group will do their best to make themselves as similar to each other as possible; for example, think of the stereotypical high school clique in which all members dress alike and have the same interests. Social comparison can be either upward or downward. Upward social comparison means comparing oneself to someone “better,” while downward social comparison means comparing oneself to someone

The way others perceive us—and we perceive them—affects the way we think of ourselves. Studies show that social comparison is prevalent within the psychology of body image formation and eating behaviors. It is usually in the context of upward social comparison, which causes the individual to feel less perfect than the one being compared to (Wheeler & Miyake, 1992). Morrison, Kalin & Morrison (2004) administered questionnaires to over 1,000 high school students in order to determine the effects of social comparison on body image. Participants were exposed to magazines and television programs that contained idealistic body imagery along with images of well-known fashion models. Results showed that comparing oneself to a universalistic figure, such as one found on television or in a magazine, could have significant negative effects on self-esteem, increase the use of diets, increase body dissatisfaction, and increase potentially harmful weight control practices. Banfield and Macabe (2002) defined body image as “a loose mental representation of body shape, size, and form which is influenced by a variety of historical, cultural and social, individual, and biological factors” (p. 374). Body dissatisfaction occurs when one’s body image does not match up with her perceived ideal body image. Body dissatisfaction is associated with eating disorders; the more dissatisfied someone is with appearance, the more likely the