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social dynamics
You judge your current life against those performing better.
The term 'upward social comparison' emerged from later developments in social comparison theory, building upon but distinct from Festinger's original 1954 work.
Festinger's 1954 theory centered on the innate drive to compare oneself with others who are similar in ability or opinion to improve the accuracy of self-evaluation.
You use others as a benchmark while ignoring the variables they hide.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Festinger, 1954
- What the check found
- Festinger emphasized similarity. The 'upward' vs 'downward' terminology is a later refinement of the theory, not the primary focus of the 1954 seminal work.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.