Social Comparison and the Effects of Gratitude on Self-Esteem and Mood
Start Date
April 2025
Location
2nd floor - Library
Abstract
Social comparison has become more prevalent as social media and mass media continue to grow worldwide popularity. This trend of mass media has caused social comparison to take an increasingly negative toll on adolescent’s mental health. Our study sought to examine if gratitude exercises would buffer the negative effects on college students suffering from negative social comparison. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), more specifically gratitude journaling, has been shown to reduce stress and help patients appreciate their own life.
Participants read two university newspaper articles written on two exceptionally high succeeding students to stimulate social comparison. After reading the two articles, participants were randomly assigned to the gratitude condition or the control condition. Those in the gratitude condition completed a gratitude exercise, those in the control condition did not. Participants in both conditions completed a social comparison scale, self-esteem scale, and the mood scale.
Our hypothesis, that gratitude exercises would be beneficial for college students participating in negative social comparison, was null. No statistical differences were found between the gratitude condition and control for self-esteem, social comparison, and mood. While there was no significance, our means confirmed our hypothesis. Our results contradict past research on gratitude, implying that gratitude does not have a significant effect on negative emotions associated with social comparison.
Social Comparison and the Effects of Gratitude on Self-Esteem and Mood
2nd floor - Library
Social comparison has become more prevalent as social media and mass media continue to grow worldwide popularity. This trend of mass media has caused social comparison to take an increasingly negative toll on adolescent’s mental health. Our study sought to examine if gratitude exercises would buffer the negative effects on college students suffering from negative social comparison. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), more specifically gratitude journaling, has been shown to reduce stress and help patients appreciate their own life.
Participants read two university newspaper articles written on two exceptionally high succeeding students to stimulate social comparison. After reading the two articles, participants were randomly assigned to the gratitude condition or the control condition. Those in the gratitude condition completed a gratitude exercise, those in the control condition did not. Participants in both conditions completed a social comparison scale, self-esteem scale, and the mood scale.
Our hypothesis, that gratitude exercises would be beneficial for college students participating in negative social comparison, was null. No statistical differences were found between the gratitude condition and control for self-esteem, social comparison, and mood. While there was no significance, our means confirmed our hypothesis. Our results contradict past research on gratitude, implying that gratitude does not have a significant effect on negative emotions associated with social comparison.
