People measure their progress, know how good they are, and learn what actions would lead to faster improvement by comparing themselves to others.
With a mature mindset, comparison motivates people to work harder to improve and provides them with role models worth emulating.
In small doses, social comparison allows people to benchmark their skills and talents against others to get better. But when comparison becomes too frequent or a fixation, it can be excruciatingly harmful.
Excessive social comparison, whether it springs from jealousy or a need to be viewed as more successful than others, produces feelings of inadequacy and anxiety, and fosters destructive emotions like guilt, envy, regret, and shame.
For highly ambitious people, it can fuel perfectionism and self-criticism, reducing self-acceptance and confidence.
Over time, excessive comparison reduces the desire to collaborate with skilled others and creates a hyper focus on outcomes rather than on learning and improvement.
Once unrestrained comparison takes hold, it can make people resentful of others’ accomplishments and less satisfied with their own achievements.
It even leads to poor decision-making, as people make choices to keep up or elevate their own standing rather than what is best for them or the team.
Social media amplifies these problems.
Research proves that the idealized images of others’ lives and successes promoted on social media heighten personal dissatisfaction and emotional distress.
People who consume too much of their information on social media sometimes think there is something wrong with themselves. That they are not experiencing the same successes in life that others are.
The projection of glamorized images on social media hides the fact that everyone struggles, faces challenges, and experiences setbacks.
Smart people come to the realization that the comparison game is unwinnable—there is always someone more skilled, more accomplished, and more polished.
They reject the need to engage in unhealthy social comparisons and focus instead on making progress every day, judging their success against their own goals and aspirations.
By concentrating most of their attention on learning, improvement, and personal growth, they avoid the comparison trap that creates so much dissatisfaction for others.
To paraphrase the actress Judy Garland, it is better to be a first-rate version of yourself rather than a second-rate version of someone else.
Too much comparison influences people to chase after the success of others instead of focusing on their own self-improvement and growth.
The best leaders keep their eyes down and attend to their own advancement. They spend very little time making themselves aware of what others are achieving.
How often does social comparison consume your time and thoughts?
