Why Do We Compare Ourselves To Others?

 

Ever caught yourself comparing your work, life, relationships, outfits etc. to others?

• How did that make you feel?
• Was that a pleasant feeling for you?

According to Psychology's Today article "Social Comparison Theory" almost 10% of our thoughts consist mainly of comparisons. 

The article suggests that comparing ourselves to others can have both a positive and a negative outcome, depending on your approach. 

On the one hand comparisons can motivate us to become and do better since we evaluate our worth  compared to others. On the other hand it can make us feel competitive, judgmental and envious.

The same article mentions that social media can also make us feel that our lives are not as exciting as others, or even fear that we are missing out on life.

Hanna Rose in her article in Psychology Today entitled "Why You Should Stop Comparing Yourself to Everybody Else" argues that  everything you compare yourself to has struggles and pain that you do not know about. She also mentions that we need to be more grateful for everything we are blessed to have in order to feel that we live a fulfilled life. Belittling ourselves will not help us in the long run.

Robert Puff in his article "We Do Better When We're Not Comparing Ourselves to Others" on Psychology Today insists that comparison is dangerous. We will always find someone that does better than us. What we need to do is acknowledge this and measure your personal accomplishments on how good and satisfied you feel about them. 

Compare yourself to others only when you want to feel inspired and do better but do not take this for granted. 

You have the power to create your own worth! 

2025