How People Use Instagram and Making Social Comparisons Are Associated With Psychological Wellbeing

Rai, Roshan; Cheng, Mei‐I; Scullion, H. J.

doi:10.1007/s41347-023-00319-0

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…Further, in a study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, social comparison specific to social media was positively associated with concurrent depressive symptoms, but predicted lower levels of loneliness and anxiety two to three weeks later [22•]. Similarly, time spent on Instagram (and associated comparison opportunities) was not related to psychological well-being, though using Instagram for social interaction was related to an individual's general positive emotions (e.g., happiness, joy) and flourishing (e.g., "I lead a purposeful and meaningful life"), and using Instagram for browsing was related to positive emotions [23].…”

Section: Does Social Comparison Warrant Treatment?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Comparison and Mental Health

Arigo,

Bercovitz,

Lapitan

et al. 2024

Curr Treat Options Psych

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Purpose of Review Opportunities for social comparison, or self-evaluation relative to others, are increasingly common via technologies such as mobile apps and social media. Comparison is often assumed to be detrimental for mental health, as many studies show negative associations. Yet, the majority of existing studies use weak methods that do little to inform clinical efforts. The goals of this review are to describe advances in methods for studying the impact of social comparisons on mental health and to identify critical next steps to advance treatment. Recent Findings Methods such as intensive ambulatory assessment (e.g., ecological momentary assessment), creative approaches to experimental manipulation, and just-in-time adaptive interventions are increasingly popular and reveal the complexity of social comparison’s short- and longer-term effects. Findings highlight the need for personalized and context-sensitive approaches to promoting mental health. Summary Historical assumptions about the role of social comparison in mental health outcomes are based on a preponderance of cross-sectional research that offers little to our understanding of mechanistic pathways or effective treatments. As the consequences of comparisons can be negative or positive, in the short and long terms, and can vary within person, there is a pressing need for treatment approaches that address this complexity in context.

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Section: Does Social Comparison Warrant Treatment?mentioning

confidence: 99%