In appearance comparisons, feeling worse off went with negative emotions
Adults in Germany reported whether they compared themselves with others, their past, or an ideal. Whether they felt better or worse off mattered more than the reference.
The key idea
When comparing your appearance, whether you felt better or worse off mattered more than the reference: feeling worse off went with negative emotions, and feeling better off with positive emotions.
The study, in plain language
The reference point is not always in front of you. When thinking about appearance, someone may compare themselves with another person, their own past or future, an ideal, or an imagined scenario. The team brought these possibilities together in a scale to study how people compare themselves and which emotions accompany the process.
Comparisons that left people worse off were more common and accompanied mainly negative emotions. Those that left people better off occurred less often and accompanied more positive emotions, although there were exceptions depending on the reference. The direction of the comparison was more consistent than each type of reference on its own.
What they found
- When comparing appearance, the reference may be another person, your past or future, an ideal, or an imagined situation.
- Comparisons that left people worse off were more common and accompanied mainly negative emotions.
- Comparisons that left people better off were less common and accompanied more positive emotions, with exceptions depending on the reference.
Something to think about
When you compare your appearance with someone else’s, notice what kind of comparison you are making and what emotion it leaves you with. You can compare yourself with others, your past, or an ideal, and they may not feel the same.
How they studied it
In Germany, 300 German-speaking adults completed a questionnaire about appearance comparisons and measures of well-being. The team tested a new scale with five possible reference points and looked for associations among responses, without an intervention. Participants were recruited at a university, in community settings, and through social media.
What the study cannot show
- The convenience sample was mostly students.
- The scale was initially evaluated in German-speaking people; it needs validation in other groups and languages.
- The observed relationships and exploratory analyses do not show that comparing oneself causes mental-health problems.
The original study
How we compare: A new approach to assess aspects of the comparison process for appearance-based standards and their associations with individual differences in wellbeing and personality measures
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.
