RESEARCH_FILE
Abraham (Bram) Buunk
University of Groningen
Known for:Leading researcher in social comparison processes, whose synthesis of five decades of comparison research confirmed that upward ability comparisons — the dominant comparison type on social media — reliably decrease self-evaluation and well-being rather than motivate improvement
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“Why did that flop — it was my best work”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“This number shows what one post did today, not what the work is worth.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Open the post, then the analytics, and write two private notes on paper or in a draft: one line about what you were trying to do, and one line describing only the observed result. Close both without changing anything.
Key findings
- 2007
With Frederick Gibbons, Buunk reviewed five decades of social comparison research and concluded that ability comparisons — particularly upward comparisons where the comparison target is more skilled or successful — consistently produce the most negative self-evaluative outcomes. They also identified that online environments structurally bias comparisons upward by surfacing top performers by default, making creator self-evaluation a systematically distorted process. Social comparisons and occupational stress: The identification–contrast model ↗