The interplay between Facebook use, social comparison, envy, and depression
Published version of a preprint
Abstract
In their Facebook profiles, users communicate abundant social comparison information conveying mainly positive self-portrayals. Thereby, social networking sites like Facebook pro-vide a fertile ground for envy. This has been proposed as a mechanism for the potential negative effects of Facebook use on well-being and depression. This article reviews research on this process. Studies show that (especially passive) Facebook use indeed predicts different measures of social comparison as well as envy. In several studies social comparison or envy mediate a positive association between Facebook use and undesirable affective outcomes such as depression. However, causal relationships have not yet been sufficiently established. Methodological and conceptual variety across studies limits their comparability, but reveals viable ideas for future research.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius (2016) found that passive Facebook use predicts social comparison and envy, which in turn lead to depression.
“Similarly, Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius (2016) found that passive Facebook use predicts social comparison and envy, which in turn lead to depression.”
From A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents (2020) · cites this paper as Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius (2016)
A bidirectional relationship may exist due to a cascading feedback loop whereby depression engenders compensatory social media use, which in turn aggravates depressive symptoms due to unhealthy social comparisons and other detrimental forms of social interaction.
“A bidirectional relationship may also exist due to a cascading feedback loop whereby depression engenders compensatory social media use, which in turn aggravates depressive symptoms due to unhealthy social comparisons and other detrimental forms of social interaction (37, 38).”
From Does Social Media Use Increase Depressive Symptoms? A Reverse Causation Perspective (2021) · cites this paper as [37]
Cites
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x · Cited by 9,939 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Additionally, users mainly interact with friends and peers on Facebook [7,21].”
BackgroundEcological momentary assessment
Shiffman, S., Stone, A. A., & Hufford, M. R. (2008) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091415 · Cited by 6,454 · see citing works
Valenzuela, S., Park, N., & Kee, K. F. (2009) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01474.x · Cited by 2,229 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The available empirical evidence is equivocal however, sometimes suggesting a positive [2– 5], a non-existent [6], or even a negative [7–9] relationship between Facebook use and depression.”
BackgroundDoes low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.
Sowislo, J. F., & Orth, U. (2013) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0028931 · Cited by 2,123 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Arguably, the lack of self-esteem [30] and the tendency to compare themselves negatively with others [31] might make depressed individuals also particularly prone to envy.”
BackgroundWho interacts on the Web?: The intersection of users’ personality and social media use
Correa, T., Hinsley, A. W., & de Zúñiga, H. G. (2010) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.09.003 · Cited by 1,915 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, younger individuals should be even more likely to engage in or be affected by SNS social comparisons, given their developing identities [44] and their heavy SNS use [45].”
BackgroundFacebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., Lin, N., Shablack, H., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069841 · Cited by 1,596 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, some effects of Facebook use may not manifest immediately, but require repeated exposure [2,15], especially when considering more far-reaching consequences.”
BackgroundTARGET ARTICLE: "Putting the Self Into Self-Conscious Emotions: A Theoretical Model"
Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W. (2004) · Psychological Inquiry · doi:10.1207/s15327965pli1502_01 · Cited by 1,462 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, Facebook postings of narcissistic users, which can be assumed to convey hubristic pride [55], elicit less positive feedback [56], potentially reflecting malicious envy.”
BackgroundSocial comparison, social media, and self-esteem.
Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014) · Psychology of Popular Media Culture · doi:10.1037/ppm0000047 · Cited by 1,418 · cited 4× · see citing works
“However, some effects of Facebook use may not manifest immediately, but require repeated exposure [2,15], especially when considering more far-reaching consequences.”
BackgroundInfluentialNadkarni, A., & Hofmann, S. G. (2012) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.11.007 · Cited by 1,276 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Given that sites such as Facebook serve a diversity of purposes [10,11], treating them as a one-dimensional construct is likely an oversimplification [4,5] resulting in conceptual imprecision (for an overview, see [12 ]).”
BackgroundA Review of Facebook Research in the Social Sciences
Wilson, R. E., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, L. T. (2012) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691612442904 · Cited by 1,226 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Given that sites such as Facebook serve a diversity of purposes [10,11], treating them as a one-dimensional construct is likely an oversimplification [4,5] resulting in conceptual imprecision (for an overview, see [12 ]).”
BackgroundChou, H.-T. G., & Edge, N. (2012) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2011.0324 · Cited by 1,166 · see citing works
Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.12.002 · Cited by 1,009 · see citing works
Passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being: Experimental and longitudinal evidence.
Verduyn, P., Lee, D. S., Park, J., Shablack, H., Orvell, A., Bayer, J., Ybarra, O., Jonides, J., & Kross, E. (2015) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General · doi:10.1037/xge0000057 · Cited by 988 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Various measures have also been used to capture negative affect, ranging from mood shifts [14,35 ,37] to more drastic consequences like clinical depression [20 ,24,25 ].”
BackgroundKim, J., & Lee, J.-E. R. (2011) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0374 · Cited by 930 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Desirable correlates of Facebook friend count have also been observed in other contexts [8].”
BackgroundSocial Consequences of the Internet for Adolescents: A Decade of Research
Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2009) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01595.x · Cited by 920 · cited 1× · see citing works
“[58]).”
Smith, R. H., & Kim, S. H. (2007) · Psychological bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.46 · Cited by 918 · cited 4× · see citing works
“Negative social comparisons are at the core of envy [19], so the chance for envy to thrive is high [20 ].”
BackgroundInfluentialWalther, J. B. (2007) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2006.05.002 · Cited by 915 · cited 1× · see citing works
“SNS self-presentation is frequently motivated by impression management [16] and the presented information is positively skewed [17,18].”
BackgroundFacebook use, envy, and depression among college students: is facebooking depressing?
Tandoc, E. C., Ferrucci, P., & Duffy, M. (2015) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.053 · Cited by 781 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Some of these studies [20 ,23,24,32] have documented an association between social comparison or envy and negative affective outcomes.”
BackgroundFox, J., & Moreland, J. J. (2015) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.083 · Cited by 763 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, painful social comparison and envy are among the most often reported stressors [22] and sources of frustration on Facebook [23].”
BackgroundNesi, J., & Prinstein, M. J. (2015) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-015-0020-0 · Cited by 758 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Current Opinion in Psychology 2016, 9:44–49 in opposite directions [25 ,32].”
BackgroundSelf-Esteem Development Across the Lifespan
Robins, R. W., & Trzesniewski, K. H. (2005) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2005.00353.x · Cited by 748 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, younger individuals should be even more likely to engage in or be affected by SNS social comparisons, given their developing identities [44] and their heavy SNS use [45].”
BackgroundLeveling up and down: The experiences of benign and malicious envy.
van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. G. M. (2009) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0015669 · Cited by 732 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Furthermore, recent evidence [51,52] shows that unflattering social comparisons can elicit two distinct forms of envy.”
BackgroundStudents' and teachers' use of Facebook
Hew, K. (2011) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.11.020 · Cited by 730 · see citing works
Manago, A. M., Taylor, T., & Greenfield, P. M. (2012) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0026338 · Cited by 657 · see citing works
The relationship between Facebook and the well-being of undergraduate college students
Kalpidou, M., Costin, D., & Morris, J. (2011) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0061 · Cited by 619 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Given that sites such as Facebook serve a diversity of purposes [10,11], treating them as a one-dimensional construct is likely an oversimplification [4,5] resulting in conceptual imprecision (for an overview, see [12 ]).”
BackgroundVogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Okdie, B. M., Eckles, K., & Franz, B. (2015) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.06.026 · Cited by 545 · cited 4× · see citing works
“Cross-sectional evidence demonstrates a positive correlation between the amount of Facebook use and the frequency of social comparisons on Facebook [15,24,32,33 ].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSeeing everyone else’s highlight reels: how Facebook usage is linked to depressive symptoms.
Steers, M.-L. N., Wickham, R. E., & Acitelli, L. K. (2014) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2014.33.8.701 · Cited by 535 · cited 5× · see citing works
“Current Opinion in Psychology 2016, 9:44–49 in opposite directions [25 ,32].”
BackgroundInfluentialLup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L. (2015) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0560 · Cited by 520 · cited 1× · see citing works
“However, a longer friend list usually entails a high proportion of strangers or distant acquaintances [46], which predicts negative social comparison outcomes [34,47], maybe because overly positive self-presentations are less easily disproved by real-life information [12 ].”
BackgroundNegative social comparison on Facebook and depressive symptoms: Rumination as a mechanism.
Feinstein, B. A., Hershenberg, R., Bhatia, V., Latack, J. A., Meuwly, N., & Davila, J. (2013) · Psychology of Popular Media Culture · doi:10.1037/a0033111 · Cited by 500 · cited 4× · see citing works
“While it is tacitly assumed that SNS envy causes depressed mood, the reverse pathway of depression causing envy is equally plausible [26 ].”
BackgroundInfluentialLange, J., & Crusius, J. (2014) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167214564959 · Cited by 480 · see citing works
Self-citationSocial Comparison 2.0: Examining the Effects of Online Profiles on Social-Networking Sites
Haferkamp, N., & Krämer, N. C. (2011) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0120 · Cited by 457 · cited 4× · see citing works
“Various measures have also been used to capture negative affect, ranging from mood shifts [14,35 ,37] to more drastic consequences like clinical depression [20 ,24,25 ].”
BackgroundInfluential“Facebook Depression?” Social Networking Site Use and Depression in Older Adolescents
Jelenchick, L. A., Eickhoff, J. C., & Moreno, M. A. (2013) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.05.008 · Cited by 445 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The available empirical evidence is equivocal however, sometimes suggesting a positive [2– 5], a non-existent [6], or even a negative [7–9] relationship between Facebook use and depression.”
BackgroundHow do people compare themselves with others on social network sites?: The case of Facebook
Lee, S. Y. (2014) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2013.12.009 · Cited by 437 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Some of these studies [20 ,23,24,32] have documented an association between social comparison or envy and negative affective outcomes.”
BackgroundSagioglou, C., & Greitemeyer, T. (2014) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.03.003 · Cited by 387 · cited 2× · see citing works
“One advantage of experimental exposure lies in the immediate experience of Facebook use and its affective consequences, thereby avoiding problems associated with retrospective self-reports [3].”
BackgroundThe emotional responses of browsing Facebook: Happiness, envy, and the role of tie strength
Lin, R., & Utz, S. (2015) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.064 · Cited by 349 · cited 1× · see citing works
“For example, stronger relational ties increase benign but not malicious envy in response to a friend’s post [57].”
BackgroundSmith, R. H., Turner, T. J., Garonzik, R., Leach, C. W., Druskat, V. U., & Weston, C. M. (1996) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167296222005 · Cited by 348 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, envy and depression have been linked outside of Facebook research [27–29], but the causal relationship is far from clear [19].”
BackgroundTheories in social psychology.
Chadee, D. (2011) · Cited by 338 · see citing works
Shaw, A. M., Timpano, K. R., Tran, T. B., & Joormann, J. (2015) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.003 · Cited by 291 · see citing works
Envy on Facebook: a hidden threat to users' life satisfaction?
Krasnova, H., Wenninger, H., Widjaja, T., & Buxmann, P. (2013) · University of Bern · doi:10.7892/boris.47080 · Cited by 290 · cited 5× · see citing works
“In three studies, envy and social comparison, respectively, mediated the relationship between Facebook use and depression-related outcomes [15,20 ,23].”
BackgroundInfluentialChen, W., & Lee, K.-H. (2013) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0272 · Cited by 275 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Note that other mechanisms potentially responsible for negative mood effects of Facebook use have received empirical support, for example, the impression to waste one’s time [3], or communication overload [39].”
BackgroundSocial comparison: Motives, standards, and mechanisms.
Corcoran, K., Crusius, J., & Mussweiler, T. (2011) · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Self-citationBlomfield neira, C. J., & Barber, B. L. (2014) · Australian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/ajpy.12034 · Cited by 247 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Given that sites such as Facebook serve a diversity of purposes [10,11], treating them as a one-dimensional construct is likely an oversimplification [4,5] resulting in conceptual imprecision (for an overview, see [12 ]).”
BackgroundDavila, J., Hershenberg, R., Feinstein, B. A., Gorman, K., Bhatia, V., & Starr, L. R. (2012) · Psychology of Popular Media Culture · doi:10.1037/a0027512 · Cited by 237 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There is evidence to suggest that ruminating about negative Facebook experiences enhances its harmful effects [48–50].”
BackgroundCohen‐Charash, Y. (2009) · Journal of Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00519.x · Cited by 235 · see citing works
Appel, H., Crusius, J., & Gerlach, A. L. (2015) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2015.34.4.277 · Cited by 229 · cited 3× · see citing works
“However, in the experiment by Appel and colleagues [38 ] depressed participants were more negatively affected by a high comparison target.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationEmotional responses during social information seeking on Facebook
Wise, K., Alhabash, S., & Park, H. (2010) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2009.0365 · Cited by 205 · cited 1× · see citing works
“[33 ,41,42]).”
The tango of two deadly sins: The social-functional relation of envy and pride.
Lange, J., & Crusius, J. (2015) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspi0000026 · Cited by 194 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Specifically, hubristic pride (attributing success to talent) results in malicious envy, whereas authentic pride (attributing success to effort) fosters benign envy [54].”
BackgroundSelf-citationJordan, A. H., Monin, B., Dweck, C. S., Lovett, B. J., John, O. P., & Gross, J. J. (2011) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167210390822 · Cited by 182 · cited 1× · see citing works
“SNS self-presentation is frequently motivated by impression management [16] and the presented information is positively skewed [17,18].”
BackgroundToo Many ‘Friends,’ Too Few ‘Likes’? Evolutionary Psychology and ‘Facebook Depression’
Blease, C. (2015) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/gpr0000030 · Cited by 167 · cited 4× · see citing works
“[2 ,12 ]).”
BackgroundInfluentialLee-Won, R. J., Shim, M., Joo, Y. K., & Park, S. G. (2014) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.08.007 · Cited by 160 · cited 1× · see citing works
“SNS self-presentation is frequently motivated by impression management [16] and the presented information is positively skewed [17,18].”
BackgroundDesire for control, locus of control, and proneness to depression
Burger, J. M. (1984) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1984.tb00551.x · Cited by 131 · cited 1× · see citing works
“For example, given that lack of control is associated with malicious envy [51] and depression alike [53], depressed individuals may be particularly prone to malicious rather than benign envy when using SNSs.”
BackgroundThe BlackBerry project: Capturing the content of adolescents' text messaging.
Underwood, M. K., Rosén, L., More, D., Ehrenreich, S. E., & Gentsch, J. K. (2011) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0025914 · Cited by 117 · cited 1× · see citing works
“[33 ,41,42]).”
Glancing up or down: Mood management and selective social comparisons on social networking sites
Johnson, B. K., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2014) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.09.009 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Desire for control, locus of control, and proneness to depression
Burger, J. (1984) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e330282004-009 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Enviousness and its relationship to maladjustment and psychopathology
Gold, B. T. (1996) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/0191-8869(96)00081-5 · Cited by 74 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, envy and depression have been linked outside of Facebook research [27–29], but the causal relationship is far from clear [19].”
BackgroundFacebook Use and the Tendency to Ruminate among College Students: Testing Mediational Hypotheses
Locatelli, S. M., Kluwe, K., & Bryant, F. (2012) · Journal of Educational Computing Research · doi:10.2190/ec.46.4.d · Cited by 73 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There is evidence to suggest that ruminating about negative Facebook experiences enhances its harmful effects [48–50].”
BackgroundWhen social media isn’t social: Friends’ responsiveness to narcissists on Facebook
Choi, M., Panek, E. T., Nardis, Y., & Toma, C. L. (2015) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.056 · Cited by 53 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, Facebook postings of narcissistic users, which can be assumed to convey hubristic pride [55], elicit less positive feedback [56], potentially reflecting malicious envy.”
BackgroundRoss, A. P., Mansilla, M. A., Choe, Y., Helminski, S., Sturm, R., Maute, R. L., May, S., Hozyasz, K. K., Wójcicki, P., Mostowska, A., et al. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069333 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Cyberpsychology and new media: a thematic reader
(2014) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.51-4730 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Garbled in Translation: Getting Media Research to the Press and Public
Guernsey, L. (2014) · Journal of Children and Media · doi:10.1080/17482798.2014.863486 · Cited by 23 · cited 1× · see citing works
“The term ‘Facebook Depression’ has become a mass media headline [1] suggesting detrimental effects of social networking sites (SNSs).”
BackgroundThe motivations and personality traits that influence Facebook usage
Gilbert, G., & Barton, H. (2013) · doi:10.4324/9780203796610-15 · Cited by 19 · cited 1× · see citing works
“For example, people potentially log into Facebook more often when they are bored [36].”
Background
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020) · International Journal of Adolescence and Youth · doi:10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851 · Cited by 1,909 · see citing works
“Similarly, Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius (2016) found that passive Facebook use predicts social comparison and envy, which in turn lead to depression.”
BackgroundOdgers, C. L., & Jensen, M. R. (2020) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.13190 · Cited by 1,189 · see citing works
The welfare effects of social media
Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. (2020) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.20190658 · Cited by 857 · see citing works
Social Media and Mental Health
Braghieri, L., Levy, R., & Makarin, A. (2022) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.20211218 · Cited by 617 · see citing works
Seeing everyone else’s highlight reels: how Facebook usage is linked to depressive symptoms.
Steers, M.-L. N., Wickham, R. E., & Acitelli, L. K. (2014) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2014.33.8.701 · Cited by 535 · see citing works
Social Network Sites and Well-Being: The Role of Social Connection
Clark, J. L., Algoe, S. B., & Green, M. C. (2018) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0963721417730833 · Cited by 451 · see citing works
Montag, C., Wegmann, E., Sariyska, R., Demetrovics, Z., & Brand, M. (2019) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.8.2019.59 · Cited by 463 · see citing works
Social Media Elements, Ecologies, and Effects
Bayer, J. B., Triệu, P., & Ellison, N. B. (2020) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-050944 · Cited by 410 · see citing works
Association of Facebook Use With Compromised Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study
Shakya, H. B., & Christakis, N. A. (2017) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/kww189 · Cited by 378 · see citing works
“the most positive aspects of their lives on social media (25), it is possible for an individual to believe that his or her own life compares negatively to the carefully constructed positive lives of friends displayed on social media (26, 27).”
BackgroundReer, F., Tang, W. Y., & Quandt, T. (2019) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/1461444818823719 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
Balmas, M. (2014) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/0093650212453600 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Jiang, S., & Ngien, A. (2020) · Social Media + Society · doi:10.1177/2056305120912488 · Cited by 367 · see citing works
Social media and depression symptoms: A network perspective.
Aalbers, G., McNally, R. J., Heeren, A., de Wit, S., & Fried, E. I. (2018) · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · doi:10.1037/xge0000528 · Cited by 330 · see citing works
Social media use and mental health and well-being among adolescents: a scoping review
Schønning, V., Hjetland, G. J., Aarø, L. E., & Skogen, J. C. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01949 · Cited by 288 · see citing works
Stockdale, L. A., & Coyne, S. M. (2020) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.01.010 · Cited by 274 · see citing works
Social Comparison as the Thief of Joy: Emotional Consequences of Viewing Strangers’ Instagram Posts
de Vries, D. A., Möller, A. M., Wieringa, M. S., Eigenraam, A. W., & Hamelink, K. (2017) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2016.1267647 · Cited by 274 · see citing works
“Furthermore, cross-sectional, prospective, and experience sampling research has shown that Facebook use is related to the negative emotion envy (for a review see Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundSocial Media Use and Adolescents' Self-Esteem: Heading for a Person-Specific Media Effects Paradigm
Valkenburg, P., Beyens, I., Pouwels, J. L., van Driel, I. I., & Keijsers, L. (2021) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1093/joc/jqaa039 · Cited by 258 · see citing works
“This tendency towards social comparison may lead to envy (e.g., Appel et al., 2016) and decreases in self-esteem (Vogel et al., 2014).”
Meier, A., & Schäfer, S. (2018) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.0708 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Schmuck, D., Karsay, K., Matthes, J., & Stevic, A. (2019) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2019.101240 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
Beyond Screen Time: Identity Development in the Digital Age
Granic, I., Morita, H., & Scholten, H. (2020) · Psychological Inquiry · doi:10.1080/1047840x.2020.1820214 · Cited by 237 · see citing works
Park, S. Y., & Baek, Y. M. (2018) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.10.028 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Dinh, T., & Lee, Y.-H. (2021) · Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing · doi:10.1108/jrim-04-2021-0127 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Lange, J., Weidman, A. C., & Crusius, J. (2018) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspi0000118 · Cited by 219 · see citing works
Self-citationEnergizing through Visuals: How Social Entrepreneurs Use Emotion-Symbolic Work for Social Change
Barbera‐Tomás, D., Castelló, I., de Bakker, F. G. A., & Zietsma, C. (2019) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2017.1488 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Mechanisms linking social media use to adolescent mental health vulnerability
Orben, A., Meier, A., Dalgleish, T., & Blakemore, S.-J. (2024) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-024-00307-y · Cited by 220 · see citing works
“Affordances enable more prominent and explicit social comparisons in social media environments relative to offline environments 158,159,163–165 .”
Wang, P., Wang, X., Wu, Y., Xie, X., Wang, X., Zhao, F., Ouyang, M., & Lei, L. (2018) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2018.02.008 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Marttila, E., Koivula, A., & Räsänen, P. (2020) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2020.101556 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Trolling on Tinder® (and other dating apps): Examining the role of the Dark Tetrad and impulsivity
March, E., Grieve, R., Marrington, J. Z., & Jonason, P. K. (2017) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.01.025 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Social media usage and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence: a review
Cataldo, I., Lepri, B., Neoh, M. J. Y., & Esposito, G. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.508595 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
The relationship between Instagram use and indicators of mental health: a systematic review
Faelens, L., Hoorelbeke, K., Cambier, R., van Put, J., Van de Putte, E., De Raedt, R., & Koster, E. H. W. (2021) · Computers in Human Behavior Reports · doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100121 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
“…and moderating role of social comparison in the relationship between SNS use and indicators of mental health such as depressive symptomatology, body image and disordered eating (Appel et al., 2016; Fardouly & Vartanian, 2016; Holland & Tiggemann, 2016; McLean et al., 2019; Verduyn et al., 2017).”
BackgroundInfluentialInstagram Inspiration: How Upward Comparison on Social Network Sites Can Contribute to Well-Being
Meier, A., Gilbert, A., Börner, S., & Possler, D. (2020) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1093/joc/jqaa025 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
Kupferberg, A., & Hasler, G. (2023) · Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100631 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Lisitsa, E., Benjamin, K. S., Chun, S. K., Skalisky, J., Hammond, L. E., & Mezulis, A. H. (2020) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2020.39.8.708 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Chao, M., Lei, J., Ru, H., Jiang, Y., & Yang, H. (2023) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115247 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
McComb, C. A., Vanman, E. J., & Tobin, S. J. (2023) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2023.2180647 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Liu, P., He, J., & Li, A. (2019) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2019.02.003 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
When every day is a high school reunion: Social media comparisons and self-esteem.
Midgley, C., Thai, S., Lockwood, P., Kovacheff, C., & Page-Gould, E. (2021) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspi0000336 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Social media influencers and consumer engagement: A review and future research agenda
Pradhan, B., Kishore, K., & Gokhale, N. P. (2023) · International Journal of Consumer Studies · doi:10.1111/ijcs.12901 · Cited by 165 · see citing works
Social Network Sites, Individual Social Capital and Happiness
Arampatzi, E., Burger, M., & Novik, N. A. (2016) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-016-9808-z · Cited by 120 · see citing works
“Such social comparisons can aggravate feelings of envy and jealousy, which in turn decrease subjective well-being (Muise et al. 2009; Utz and Beukeboom 2011; Appel et al. 2016).”
BackgroundLess Facebook use – More well-being and a healthier lifestyle? An experimental intervention study
Brailovskaia, J., Ströse, F., Schillack, H., & Margraf, J. (2020) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106332 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Trifiro, B. M., & Gerson, J. (2019) · Social Media + Society · doi:10.1177/2056305119848743 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Lee, H. Y., Jamieson, J. P., Reis, H. T., Beevers, C. G., Josephs, R. A., Mullarkey, M. C., O’Brien, J. M., & Yeager, D. S. (2020) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/cdev.13422 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Wang, J., Gaskin, J. E., Rost, D. H., & Gentile, D. A. (2017) · Social Science Computer Review · doi:10.1177/0894439317721981 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Adult Attachment Style, Emotion Regulation, and Social Networking Sites Addiction
Liu, C., & Ma, J.-L. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02352 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Yin, L., Wang, P., Nie, J., Guo, J., Feng, J., & Lei, L. (2021) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-019-00344-4 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Opt-out, abstain, unplug. A systematic review of the voluntary digital disconnection literature
Nassen, L.-M., Vandebosch, H., Poels, K., & Karsay, K. (2023) · Telematics and informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2023.101980 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Social media use and well-being: A prospective experience-sampling study
Faelens, L., Hoorelbeke, K., Soenens, B., Van Gaeveren, K., De Marez, L., De Raedt, R., & Koster, E. H. W. (2021) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106510 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
“As a consequence of the chronic exposure to a high amount of idealized information, users may evaluate themselves more negatively and feel less satisfied with their lives (Appel et al., 2016; Chou & Edge, 2012).”
BackgroundRosenthal-von der Pütten, A. M., Hastall, M. R., Köcher, S., Meske, C., Heinrich, T., Labrenz, F., & Ocklenburg, S. (2019) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.10.017 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Does Social Media Use Increase Depressive Symptoms? A Reverse Causation Perspective
Hartanto, A., Quek, F. Y. X., Tng, G. Y. Q., & Yong, J. C. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.641934 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
“A bidirectional relationship may also exist due to a cascading feedback loop whereby depression engenders compensatory social media use, which in turn aggravates depressive symptoms due to unhealthy social comparisons and other detrimental forms of social interaction (37, 38).”
BackgroundChae, J. (2018) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2018.04.011 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Wang, W., Wang, M., Hu, Q., Wang, P., Lei, L., & Jiang, S. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.173 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Wang, P., Wang, X., Nie, J., Zeng, P., Liu, K., Wang, J., Guo, J., & Lei, L. (2019) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2019.04.013 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms Among United States Adolescents
Kreski, N., Platt, J., Rutherford, C., Olfson, M., Odgers, C., Schulenberg, J., & Keyes, K. M. (2021) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.006 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
“Proponents of this hypothesis note that adolescents are increasingly isolated from face-to-face interaction [5–7], experience cyber-bullying [8], and face challeges to self-esteem and self-worth through curated online images of peers [9].”
BackgroundOzimek, P., & Bierhoff, H. (2019) · Behaviour and Information Technology · doi:10.1080/0144929x.2019.1642385 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Prikhidko, A., Long, H., & Wheaton, M. G. (2020) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.567250 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
“Meanwhile, passive usage of social media decreases emotional well-being and increases envy, which, along with social comparison, moderates the relationship between Facebook use and depression (17).”
BackgroundOnline peer to peer support: Qualitative analysis of UK and US open mental health Facebook groups
Prescott, J., Rathbone, A. L., & Brown, G. (2020) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/2055207620979209 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Public attitudes and sentiments towards new energy vehicles in China: A text mining approach
Wu, Z., He, Q., Li, J., Bi, G., & Antwi‐Afari, M. F. (2023) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2023.113242 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Tinder blue, mental flu? Exploring the associations between Tinder use and well-being
Her, Y., & Timmermans, E. (2020) · Information Communication & Society · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2020.1764606 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
“that online communication can harm well-being due to upward social comparison (Appel et al., 2016; Burke & Kraut, 2016; Lee, 2014).”
BackgroundDing, Q., Zhang, Y.-X., Wei, H., Huang, F., & Zhou, Z. (2017) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.03.027 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
“Passive SNS use involves both similarity to comparison standards and high personal relevance, and these two factors can fuel envy (Appel et al., 2016; Smith & Kim, 2007).”
BackgroundMarciano, L., Lin, J., Sato, T., Saboor, S., & Viswanath, K. (2024) · SSM - Mental Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100331 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Yin, X.-Q., de Vries, D. A., Gentile, D. A., & Wang, J.-L. (2019) · Social Science Computer Review · doi:10.1177/0894439318784908 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
“Additionally, SNSs usage would lead to upward social comparison and subsequent envious emotions (Appel et al., 2016; Tandoc, Ferrucci, & Duffy, 2015), as well as fear of missing out (FoMO; Beyens, Frison, & Eggermont, 2016), and a sense of meaninglessness evoking from excessive use (Sagioglou & Greitemeyer, 2014).”
BackgroundThe Welfare Effects of Social Media
Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. (2019) · doi:10.3386/w25514 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Johnson, B. K., Potocki, B., & Veldhuis, J. (2019) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1093/jcmc/zmz003 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Couture Bue, A. C. (2020) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106329 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Chow, T., & Wan, H.-Y. (2017) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.07.032 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
“Indeed, social comparison and envy are among the most frequently documented stressors associated with Facebook use (Appel et al., 2016; Fox & Moreland, 2015; Vogel, Rose, Okdie, Eckles, & Franz, 2015).”
BackgroundLin, R. (2018) · Internet Research · doi:10.1108/intr-05-2017-0203 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Internet Addiction and Depression in Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model
Chi, X., Liu, X., Guo, T., Wu, M., & Chen, X. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00816 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Kingsbury, M. K., Reme, B., Skogen, J. C., Sivertsen, B., Øverland, S. N., Cantor, N., Hysing, M., Petrie, K. J., & Colman, I. (2020) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106614 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Social media and its relationship with mood, self‐esteem and paranoia in psychosis
Berry, N., Emsley, R., Lobban, F., & Bucci, S. (2018) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/acps.12953 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
“343 15 (34) Smartphone 18 (95) Smartphone 23 (92) v(2) = 0.”
What makes you attached to social companion AI? A two-stage exploratory mixed-method study
Hu, D., Lan, Y., Yan, H., & Chen, C. W. (2025) · International Journal of Information Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102890 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Müller, S. M., Wegmann, E., Stolze, D., & Brand, M. (2020) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106296 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Social comparison orientation mediates the relationship between neuroticism and passive Facebook use
Rozgonjuk, D., Ryan, T., Kuljus, J. K., Täht, K., & Scott, G. G. (2019) · Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace · doi:10.5817/cp2019-1-2 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
“Research has also indicated that SCO is associated with passive Facebook use (Appel et al., 2016) and neuroticism (Buunk & Gibbons, 2006) due to the fact that individuals higher in this trait are less confident and more likely to set high goals, leading them to seek comparison with others (Buunk et al.”
BackgroundInfluentialFabris, M. A., Settanni, M., Longobardi, C., & Marengo, D. (2023) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-023-01516-x · Cited by 81 · see citing works
“…distress is still not entirely clear, but several hypotheses have been formulated,for example, it is possible that more time spent on social media exposes subjects to greater social comparison, leading to dissatisfaction, envy, and negative feelings that generate psychological distress [34, 35].”
BackgroundWang, P.-C., Wang, X.-C., Zhao, M., Wu, Y.-Q., Wang, Y.-H., & Lei, L. (2017) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-017-9711-8 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
“(Appel et al. 2016), and in turn damage the other users’ wellbeing.”
BackgroundWenninger, H., Cheung, C. M. K., & Chmielinski, M. (2021) · International Journal of Information Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102303 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Envy on social media: The good, the bad and the ugly
Wu, J., & Srite, M. (2020) · International Journal of Information Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102255 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Loneliness and Facebook use: the role of social comparison and rumination
Dibb, B., & Foster, M. (2021) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05999 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
The Hogwarts Running Club and Sense of Community: A Netnography of a Virtual Community
Lizzo, R., & Liechty, T. (2020) · Leisure Sciences · doi:10.1080/01490400.2020.1755751 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
“Research into Facebook use specifically has found that time spent on the platform is linked to feelings of envy and depression among users due to unflattering social comparisons (Appel et al., 2016; Tandoc et al., 2015).”
BackgroundResultSocial Comparison and Facebook
Burke, M., Cheng, J., & de Gant, B. (2020) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3313831.3376482 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
“Thus, social comparison and viewing others’ profiles are likely to be correlated [2].”
BackgroundThe contributions of social comparison to social network site addiction
Kim, H., Schlicht, R., Schardt, M., & Florack, A. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257795 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
“Frequent online adverse social comparisons were associated with worsened health for individuals with depressive symptoms and low self-esteem [25, 26] and also associated with compulsive buying in women [27].”
Houghton, D., Pressey, A. D., & Istanbulluoglu, D. (2019) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.029 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Protasi, S. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009007023 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Ozimek, P., Brailovskaia, J., & Bierhoff, H. (2022) · Telematics and Informatics Reports · doi:10.1016/j.teler.2023.100048 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Do Our Facebook Friends Make Us Feel Worse? A Study of Social Comparison and Emotion
Liu, J., Li, C., Carcioppolo, N., & North, M. (2016) · Human Communication Research · doi:10.1111/hcre.12090 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
“According to Lin and Utz (2015), these findings were due to the higher similarity and 6 Human Communication Research (2016) © 2016 International Communication Association familiarity between close friends and oneself (people can “catch” a close friend’s emotions better than a distant friend’s).”
BackgroundInfluentialTran, D. V., Nguyen, T., & Nguyen, D. M. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03042-w · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Unintended Emotional Effects of Online Health Communities: A Text Mining-Supported Empirical Study
Zhou, J., Zhang, Q., Zhou, S., Li, X., & Zhang, X. (2019) · MIS Quarterly · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3394398 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Psychopathological Processes Involved in Social Comparison, Depression, and Envy on Facebook
Pera, A. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00022 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
“I draw on outstanding research (e.g., Chou and Edge, 2012; Lin and Utz, 2015; Appel et al., 2016; Ehrenreich and Underwood, 2016; Vogel and Rose, 2016; Hu et al., 2017) to substantiate that examining other individuals’ positively presented material on Facebook may have detrimental consequences.”
BackgroundStavrova, O., & Denissen, J. (2021) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/1948550620944304 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“, 2014), stimulating envy, undermining self-esteem, and fostering a sense of inferiority (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundSteinsbekk, S., Nesi, J. L., & Wichstrøm, L. (2023) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2023.107859 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
“…social comparison (Nesi & Prinstein, 2015) and promotion of increased body-concern and impaired body-image (Vandenbosch, Fardouly, & Tiggemann, 2022), which may forecast depression (Appel, Gerlach, & Crusius, 2016; Choukas-Bradley, Roberts, Maheux, & Nesi, 2022; Murray, Rieger, & Byrne, 2018).”
Effects of Envy on Depression: The Mediating Roles of Psychological Resilience and Social Support
Xiang, Y., Dong, X., & Zhao, J. (2020) · Psychiatry Investigation · doi:10.30773/pi.2019.0266 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Khalili-Mahani, N., Smyrnova, A., & Kakinami, L. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/11485 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
“These studies underline the correlation between screen usage and stress-related psychopathology [48,49], or the negative health impacts of addiction to television [41,50], computer games [51,52], the internet [53,54], and social media [55-57].”
BackgroundThe Social Online-Self-Regulation-Theory
Ozimek, P., & Förster, J. (2021) · Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications · doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000304 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Social media use and perceptions of physical health
Dibb, B. (2019) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00989 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
“People tend to post positive attractive photographs and write about happy and successful occurrences and this means that the material is usually upward comparison material and the comparer may view themselves more negatively as a result (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialBrandenberg, G., Ozimek, P., Bierhoff, H., & Janker, C. (2018) · Behaviour and Information Technology · doi:10.1080/0144929x.2018.1545049 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
“…whether a positive association between high social media use and increased rates of depression exists because the evidence on this issue is mixed (Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius 2016; Datu, Valdez, and Datu 2012; Jelenchick, Eickhoff, and Moreno 2013; Simoncic 2012; Tandoc, Ferrucci, and Duffy…”
BackgroundResultCrusius, J., Corcoran, K., & Mussweiler, T. (2022) · doi:10.1002/9781394266616.ch7 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Self-citationBalaban, D. C., Mucundorfeanu, M., & Naderer, B. (2021) · Communications · doi:10.1515/commun-2020-0053 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Depressive symptoms and upward social comparisons during Instagram use: A vicious circle
Aubry, R., Quiamzade, A., & Meier, L. L. (2023) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2023.112458 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Soraci, P., Demetrovics, Z., Bevan, N., Pisanti, R., Servidio, R. C., Bernardo, C. D., Chini, E., & Griffiths, M. D. (2025) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-024-01432-8 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“…or emotional distress are more susceptible to social comparison, because they tend to perceive themselves as excluded or inferior to others, particularly when they observe images of ostensibly perfect lives characterized by success on social media (Appel et al., 2016; Baker et al., 2016).”
Why Social Comparison on Instagram Matters: Its impact on Depression
Hwnag, H. S. (2019) · KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems · doi:10.3837/tiis.2019.03.029 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“Thus, it appears that users view SNSs as idealized places to facilitate negative social comparison [19].”
BackgroundFacebook’s Ideal User: Healthy Habits, Social Capital, and the Politics of Well-Being Online
Docherty, N. (2020) · Social Media + Society · doi:10.1177/2056305120915606 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“…of Facebook (Busby, 2018; Carey, 2019; O’Neil, 2019), and are explored in psychological studies that associate increased Facebook usage with decreased subjective well-being (Kross et al., 2013), higher levels of depression (Feinstein et al., 2013), and increased envy in users (Appel et al., 2016).”
Background
- Authors
- Appel, H., Gerlach, A. L., & Crusius, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Cologne (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Appel, Helmut
- Venue
- Current Opinion in Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-06
- Volume
- 9
- Pages
- 44-49
- ISSN
- 2352-250X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1928177371
- Cited by
- 605
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 74 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 59 · 2023: 95 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 77 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 34 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 7.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Opinion in Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Kölner Universitäts PublikationsServer (Universität zu Köln) (publishedVersion)
- Kölner Universitäts PublikationsServer (Universität zu Köln) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Keywords
- Facebook use, social comparison, envy, depression, social networking sites, passive social media use, self-presentation, well-being, mediation
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review