RESEARCH_FILE
Leon Festinger
University of Minnesota
Known for:Founding social comparison theory (1954): people evaluate themselves by comparing with others when objective standards are absent.
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“Everyone from school is doing better than me”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“Two thousand curated strangers are not a control group for my life.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Next time a school peer's update arrives, notice the moment you reach for their profile. Close the app instead, without opening it. Mark the time.
Key findings
- 1954
Humans have a drive to evaluate their opinions and abilities; when objective, non-social means are unavailable, they evaluate by comparison with other people. A Theory of Social Comparison Processes ↗
- 1954
Comparison gravitates toward similar others: the closer someone is to us in ability or situation, the more their standing shapes our self-evaluation — which is why peers' feeds hit harder than celebrities'. A Theory of Social Comparison Processes ↗