The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 61 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
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.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
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?
In the citing paper
“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)
In the citing paper
“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]
Citations
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×
“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
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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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 ]).”
Background
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–200 of 604
Thomas, M. F., Binder, A., Stević, A., & Matthes, J. (2023) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2023.101949 · Cited by 70
Brunstrom, J. M., & Cheon, B. K. (2018) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.02.038 · Cited by 46
Dinh, T. C. T., & Lee, Y. (2024) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36387 · Cited by 45
“Individuals are even more noticeable and conspicuous in online contexts than in offline contexts [45].”
BackgroundMujcic, R., & Oswald, A. J. (2017) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.12.030 · Cited by 45
The effects of Facebook on mood in emerging adults.
Yuen, E. K., Koterba, E. A., Stasio, M. J., Patrick, R. B., Gangi, C., Ash, P., Barakat, K., Greene, V., Hamilton, W., & Mansour, B. (2018) · Psychology of Popular Media Culture · doi:10.1037/ppm0000178 · Cited by 40
The impact of envy on brand preference: brand storytelling and psychological distance as moderators
Kao, D. T. (2019) · Journal of Product & Brand Management · doi:10.1108/jpbm-08-2018-2004 · Cited by 45
Feng, W., Yang, M. X., Yu, I. Y., & Tu, R.-T. (2020) · Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management · doi:10.1080/19368623.2020.1775745 · Cited by 45
Online social networking and subjective well-being: Mediating effects of envy and fatigue
Zhou, M., & Zhang, X. (2019) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103598 · Cited by 52
Chen, Z., Zhang, R., Xu, T., Yang, Y., Wang, J., & Feng, T. (2020) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106391 · Cited by 48
YouTube makeup tutorials reinforce postfeminist beliefs through social comparison
Chae, J. (2019) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2019.1679187 · Cited by 57
Passive Facebook Use and Depression
TOSUN, L. P., & Kaşdarma, E. (2019) · Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications · doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000269 · Cited by 50
Marr’s Tri-Level Framework Integrates Biological Explanation Across Communication Subfields
Huskey, R., Bue, A. C. C., Eden, A., Grall, C., Meshi, D., Prena, K., Schmälzle, R., Scholz, C., Turner, B. O., & Wilcox, S. (2020) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1093/joc/jqaa007 · Cited by 47
“In contrast, although upward social comparisons have the potential to inspire individuals to improve their own performance, scholars have found that upward comparisons often lead to feelings of discouragement and reduced well-being (Appel, Gerlach, & Crusius, 2016).”
BackgroundNiu, G., Yao, L., Tian, Y., Sun, X., & Zhou, Z. (2020) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-020-01043-1 · Cited by 42
Yin, Y., Cai, X. H., Ouyang, M., Li, S., Li, X., & Wang, P. (2022) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2022.107624 · Cited by 50
van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Rozendaal, E. (2020) · Communications · doi:10.1515/commun-2019-0120 · Cited by 39
“Experiments have several limitations, including forced exposure and exposure to stimuli that are often manipulated (Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius, 2016).”
BackgroundThe Relationship Between Social Media Dependence and Psychological Disorders in Adolescents
Bilgin, M. (2018) · The Journal of International Scientific Researches · doi:10.23834/isrjournal.452045 · Cited by 38
Marttila, E., Koivula, A., & Räsänen, P. (2021) · American Journal of Criminal Justice · doi:10.1007/s12103-021-09665-2 · Cited by 53
Wilson, C., & Stock, J. L. (2021) · Health An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine · doi:10.1177/13634593211023130 · Cited by 36
“…usually comprises socially desirable information that people have posted to present themselves positively, and when others are exposed to this, they can experience feelings of envy due to upward social comparison to these seemingly advantaged others (e.g. Appel et al., 2016; Chou and Edge, 2012).”
BackgroundCultural differences in social comparison on Facebook
Song, H., Cramer, E., & Park, N. (2018) · Behaviour and Information Technology · doi:10.1080/0144929x.2018.1519037 · Cited by 36
“A review of available research finds sufficient evidence to suggest that Facebook use leads to unfavourable social comparisons (Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius 2016).”
BackgroundSocial comparisons on Facebook and offline: The relationship to depressive symptoms
Faranda, M., & Roberts, L. D. (2018) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2018.12.012 · Cited by 36
He, D., Shen, X., & Liu, Q. (2020) · Children and Youth Services Review · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105232 · Cited by 43
Qu, X., Houser, S. H., Zhang, J., Wen, J. S., & Zhang, W. (2022) · BMC Geriatrics · doi:10.1186/s12877-022-03054-y · Cited by 37
“Therefore, we supposed that the Moment users might have higher expectations of selfesteem and social comparison, which were reported as the leading causes related to depression through social media usage [53].”
BackgroundJamil, H., Alakkari, M., Al-Mahini, M. S., Alsayid, M., & Al Jandali, O. (2022) · Avicenna Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1055/s-0042-1755181 · Cited by 34
Tandoc, E. C., & Goh, Z. H. (2021) · Information Communication & Society · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2021.1954975 · Cited by 35
“An important mechanism that bridges social media use and depression is the feeling of envy (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundHwang, Y., Kim, H. J., Choi, H. J., & Lee, J. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/15700 · Cited by 34
“Meaningful information can be extracted from these data, increasing the number of studies that utilize such a large amount of data to analyze the characteristics and patterns of abnormal behaviors [14-17].”
BackgroundBetween Instagram browsing and subjective well-being: Social comparison or emotional contagion?
Choi, S., & Kim, E.-M. (2020) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2020.1824120 · Cited by 28
“…recent social comparison literature suggests that social comparison directionality is not a determinant of its outcomes, considerable work examining the effects of social comparison within social media contexts have substantiated the negative impact of upward social comparison (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundAre social media good or bad for employees? It depends on when they use them
Labban, A., & Bizzi, L. (2020) · Behaviour and Information Technology · doi:10.1080/0144929x.2020.1830174 · Cited by 33
“First, research has shown that emotions are strongly linked to social media use and they are often the core mechanism through which social media influences behavioural responses of individuals (Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius 2016; Chou and Edge 2012).”
BackgroundAlsunni, A. A., & Latif, R. (2020) · Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.11.004 · Cited by 33
“(2016).(8) In comparison to extensive studies exploring the effects of SMuse onmental health in children and adolescents, very few studies have been conducted todate on the effects of SMuse in adults.”
BackgroundResultRelationship between personality traits and facebook addiction: A meta-analysis
Rajesh, T., & Rangaiah, B. (2022) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10315 · Cited by 38
“Consequently, Facebook addiction is having positive correlation with depression (Błachnio et al., 2015; Appel et al., 2016), anxiety symptoms (Brailovskaia and Margraf, 2017), lowered wellbeing (Satici and Uysal.”
BackgroundCountry Differences in Social Comparison on Social Media
Cheng, J., Burke, M., & de Gant, B. (2021) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3434179 · Cited by 34
“Social comparison, or the act of comparing oneself to others, is a fundamental social process [3, 71].”
BackgroundThe Fake One is the Real One: Finstas, Authenticity, and Context Collapse in Teen Friend Groups
Darr, C. R., & Doss, E. F. (2022) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1093/jcmc/zmac009 · Cited by 32
Tibber, M. S., & Silver, E. (2022) · The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist · doi:10.1017/s1754470x22000034 · Cited by 39
“However, this requires intentional/purposeful engagement with the technology (mode), in the absence of which the pull will be towards a passive scrolling of online material, which has itself been linked to higher levels of (judgemental) social comparisons and associated feelings of envy (Appel et al., 2016; Krasnova e…”
InfluentialWhen social media exposure backfires on travel: The role of social media–induced travel anxiety
Huang, Y., Qian, L., & Tu, H. (2025) · Tourism Management · doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105163 · Cited by 39
Zhang, H., Gu, R., Ming, Y., Zhang, M., Han, F., Li, H., & Luo, W. (2021) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsaa167 · Cited by 31
“An investigation into the above issue would advance our knowledge pertaining to the impact of modern-day social media on mental health (Nesi and Prinstein, 2015; Appel et al., 2016) and would be of substantial benefit to organizational behavior research (Greenberg et al., 2007).”
BackgroundSocial distance modulates outcome processing when comparing abilities with others
Liu, S., Hu, X., & Mai, X. (2021) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.13798 · Cited by 31
Lian, S.-L., Sun, X.-J., Yang, X.-J., & Zhou, Z.-K. (2018) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-018-9882-y
Naderer, B., Peter, C., & Karsay, K. (2021) · Journal of Children and Media · doi:10.1080/17482798.2021.1938619 · Cited by 38
“Nevertheless, this might be one of the biggest threats to external validity (Appel et al., 2016): Idealized pictures of a close friend might be especially problematic due to increased social comparison processes that are triggered by similarity.”
BackgroundWeber, S., Messingschlager, T. V., & Stein, J. (2021) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2021.1968440 · Cited by 31
“…platforms inherently contribute to negative comparison outcomes, including the loss of self-worth (Stapleton, Luiz, & Chatwin, 2017), lower body esteem (Tiggemann & Zaccardo, 2016), increased envy (Appel, Crusius, & Gerlach, 2015; Appel et al., 2016), and depressive thoughts (Lee & Kawachi, 2018).”
BackgroundResultZhang, H., Zhang, M., Lu, J., Zhao, L., Zhao, D., Xiao, C., Gu, R., & Luo, W. (2019) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-019-00756-6 · Cited by 30
Facebook addiction and impulsive decision-making
Delaney, D., Stein, L. A. R., & Gruber, R. (2018) · Addiction Research & Theory · doi:10.1080/16066359.2017.1406482 · Cited by 29
“However, to date, limited research has examined possible deleterious effects of Facebook on users such as its association with depressive symptoms and decreases in well-being (Wilson et al. 2012; Caers et al. 2013; Shaw et al. 2015; Appel et al. 2016).”
BackgroundThe Use of Instagram and TikTok in Relation to Problematic Use and Well-Being
Hendrikse, C., & Limniou, M. (2024) · Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science · doi:10.1007/s41347-024-00399-6 · Cited by 51
“SMU may become depressing when users engage in social comparison as envy is frequently reported as a predictor of depression (Appel et al., 2016; Carraturo et al., 2023).”
Hildebrand, C., & Schlager, T. (2018) · Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · doi:10.1007/s11747-018-0599-0 · Cited by 28
“2011; Toma 2013), and provoking a greater number of anxiety-related feelings (Appel et al. 2016; Tandoc et al. 2015).”
BackgroundInfluentialCognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Envy
Leahy, R. L. (2020) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-020-10135-y · Cited by 28
An influencer like me: Examining the impact of the social status of Influencers
Kim, D. Y., Park, M., & Kim, H. (2022) · Journal of Marketing Communications · doi:10.1080/13527266.2022.2066153 · Cited by 30
“When social media users follow an influencer who holds higher social status than themselves (e.g., celebrity, wealth, expert), they may engage in upward social comparison and self-enhancement process (Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius 2016; Vogel et al. 2014).”
BackgroundNguyen, N. D., Truong, N.-A., Dao, P. Q., & Nguyen, H. H. (2024) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2024.108455 · Cited by 32
Master and Slave: the Dialectic of Human-Artificial Intelligence Engagement
Kim, T. W., Maimone, F., Pattit, K., Sisón, A. J. G., & Teehankee, B. L. (2021) · Humanistic Management Journal · doi:10.1007/s41463-021-00118-w · Cited by 27
Kruzan, K. P., Whitlock, J. L., Bazarova, N. N., Bhandari, A., & Chapman, J. (2022) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/26526 · Cited by 27
“The decision to prescribe 3 times of participative use per week was made to ensure that there was meaningful engagement beyond scrolling and based on past work suggesting that active use is more beneficial than passive use [81,82].”
Children's risk and benefit behaviours on social networking sites
Hayes, B., James, A. I., Barn, R., & Watling, D. (2021) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2021.107147 · Cited by 29
Noon, E. J., Schuck, L. A., Guțu, S. M., Şahin, B., Vujović, B., & Aydın, Z. (2021) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.10.008 · Cited by 28
Turn off to tune in: Digital disconnection, digital consciousness, and meaningful leisure
Harmon, J. T., & Duffy, L. N. (2023) · Journal of Leisure Research · doi:10.1080/00222216.2023.2220699 · Cited by 27
“Regarding social media use, these negative well-being outcomes are a result of social comparison behaviors (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundCOVID-19 Pandemi Sürecinde Bilişim Teknolojileri Bağımlılığı
Öztürk, A. (2021) · Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi · doi:10.31463/aicusbed.903612 · Cited by 29
Brailovskaia, J., & Margraf, J. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100374 · Cited by 31
Envy, Social Comparison, and Depression on Social Networking Sites: A Systematic Review
Carraturo, F., di Perna, T., Giannicola, V., Nacchia, M. A., Pepe, M., Muzii, B., Bottone, M., Sperandeo, R., Bochicchio, V., Maldonato, N., et al. (2023) · European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe13020027 · Cited by 37
“Consequently, by combining the elements of similarity, self-relevance, and perceived superiority of the comparison target, SM provides exceptionally fertile ground for the experience of envy [21].”
BackgroundMethodFacebook Usage and Life Satisfaction
Stieger, S. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02711 · Cited by 30
Üzüm, B., Ozdemir, Y., Köse, S., Özkan, O. S., & ŞENELDİR, O. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.792137 · Cited by 24
“On the other hand, the person will try to deal with feelings that make them feel worthless and inadequate (low self-esteem) in case he or she believes that he or she is at a lower level than others as a result of social comparison (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInstagram Use and Mental Well-Being
Stefana, A., Dakanalis, A., Mura, M., Colmegna, F., & Clerici, M. (2022) · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000001577 · Cited by 26
A Paradox Theory of Social Media Consumption and Child Well-Being
Yap, S. F., & Lim, W. M. (2023) · Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ) · doi:10.1177/14413582221139492 · Cited by 28
“This upward social comparison raises body image concerns (Jones, 2001), decreases self-esteem (Valkenburg et al., 2006), and generates envy that undermines mental well-being (Appel et al., 2016) among children.”
BackgroundJattamart, A., & Leelasantitham, A. (2020) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04244 · Cited by 25
“these results in jealousy are linked to depression (Appel et al., 2016; Banjanin et al., 2015).”
BackgroundFeng, W., Chang, D., & Sun, H. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1113655 · Cited by 24
Yan, N., Long, Y., Yuan, H., Zhou, X.-F., Xie, B., & Wang, Y. (2024) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s447372 · Cited by 22
A unified ecological framework for studying effects of digital places on well-being
Shankardass, K., Robertson, C., Shaughnessy, K., Sykora, M. D., & Feick, R. (2018) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.09.022 · Cited by 23
Object attachment, transitory attachment, and materialism in childhood
Richins, M. L., & Chaplin, L. N. (2020) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.07.020 · Cited by 22
Social comparison and life satisfaction in social media: The role of mattering and state self-esteem
Sim, P. P. T., & Prihadi, K. D. (2020) · International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS) · doi:10.11591/ijphs.v9i3.20509 · Cited by 25
“Individuals tend to openly exaggerate the content they upload on their profile, depicting how flawless and happy they are, and therefore, making the information positively skewed favoring the user [26, 25], which will always compromise of exclusive information that subsequently leads to social comparisons [26- 31].”
Students in High-Achieving Schools: Perils of Pressures to Be “Standouts”
Luthar, S. S., Suh, B. C., Ebbert, A. M., & Kumar, N. L. (2020) · Adversity and Resilience Science · doi:10.1007/s42844-020-00009-3 · Cited by 22
Griffith, D. A., Lee, H. S., & Yalcinkaya, G. (2022) · International Marketing Review · doi:10.1108/imr-07-2021-0214 · Cited by 21
Social Network Sites, Individual Social Capital and HappinessPreprint
Arampatzi, E., Burger, M., & Novik, N. (2016) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2853339 · Cited by 20
Problematic Social Network Use: Structure and Assessment
González-Nuevo, C., Cuesta, M., Postigo, Á., Menéndez-Aller, Á., & Muñiz, J. (2023) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-021-00711-y · Cited by 22
Social Robots and Dark Patterns: Where Does Persuasion End and Deception Begin?
Shamsudhin, N., & Jotterand, F. (2021) · Advances in neuroethics · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-74188-4_7 · Cited by 20
Hubungan Social Comparison dengan Gejala Depresi pada Mahasiswa Pengguna Instagram
Auliannisa, S., & Hatta, M. I. (2022) · Jurnal Riset Psikologi · doi:10.29313/jrp.v1i2.561 · Cited by 19
“Pengguna membandingkan diri mereka yang sebenarnya dengan versi online yang ideal sehingga membuat upwards comparison atau membandingkan diri dengan orang yang dianggap lebih superior , lebih menonjol di media sosial seperti Instagram daripada offline (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundMontag, C. (2018) · Lecture notes in information systems and organisation · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-01087-4_32 · Cited by 21
Adolescent Mental Health Challenges in the Digital World
Charmaraman, L., Sode, O., & Bickham, D. S. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-817319-0.00012-8 · Cited by 22
Social Media as Source of Information, Stress Symptoms, and Burden Caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Brailovskaia, J., Margraf, J., & Schneider, S. (2021) · European Psychologist · doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000452 · Cited by 20
“Intensive SMU was described to foster stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms (Appel et al., 2016; Brailovskaia & Margraf, 2020a).”
BackgroundSuicide Safety Planning During a Pandemic: The Implications of COVID‐19 on Coping with a Crisis
Pruitt, L. D., Mcintosh, L. S., & Reger, G. M. (2020) · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · doi:10.1111/sltb.12641 · Cited by 19
Krogh, S. C. (2022) · Young · doi:10.1177/11033088221111224 · Cited by 21
“Finally, a majority of the research presented above, and the research on the effects of social media on mental health in general, have been conducted among college students (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundAscone, L., Jaya, E. S., & Lincoln, T. M. (2016) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.002 · Cited by 19
Do SNSs really make us happy? The effects of writing and reading via SNSs on subjective well-being
Yang, H. (2020) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2020.101384 · Cited by 18
Scott, E. S., Canivet, C. A., & Östergren, P. (2020) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09732-z · Cited by 21
Turel, O. (2021) · MIS Quarterly · doi:10.25300/misq/2021/16353 · Cited by 19
Social Media and Mental Health
Braghieri, L., Levy, R., & Makarin, A. (2021) · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3919760 · Cited by 18
Fukubayashi, N., & Fuji, K. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720960 · Cited by 17
I tweet, therefore I am: a systematic review on social media use and disorders of the social brain
Yang, N. Y., & Crespi, B. J. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-06528-6 · Cited by 22
Li, Q., & Xiang, Y. (2020) · Personality and Mental Health · doi:10.1002/pmh.1492 · Cited by 17
The associations between social comparison on social media and young adults’ mental health
Le Blanc-Brillon, J., Fortin, J.-S., Lafrance, L., & Hétu, S. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1597241 · Cited by 16
“One mental health outcome frequently linked to SNSs use is self-esteem, a psychological construct that is fundamental to wellbeing (Mann et al., for upward social comparisons-comparing oneself to someone perceived as superior-these platforms offer to users (Appel et al., 2016).”
Dong, P., Zhang, X., Yin, W., Shi, Y. T., Xu, M., Li, H., Zhuge, X., Li, Z., Sun, K., & Chen, Z. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/75938 · Cited by 17
“The reason for this may be that users of social media platforms, such as short video apps, are more accustomed to uploading pleasant information about their successes and experiences, which makes other users unconsciously fall into the trap of making upward comparisons [66].”
Krogh, S. C. (2021) · Young · doi:10.1177/11033088211009128 · Cited by 16
“Early adolescents could be more likely to engage in or be affected by social comparisons online, given their developing identities and their greater use of social media (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialHurley, E., Williams, I. R., Tomyn, A. J., & Sanci, L. A. (2024) · Computers in Human Behavior Reports · doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100398 · Cited by 30
Piko, B. F., Kiss, H., Hartmann, A., Hamvai, C., & Fitzpatrick, K. M. (2024) · European Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.5708/ejmh.19.2024.0019 · Cited by 22
“Despite the fact that upward social comparison may lower one’s self-worth and help develop envy and even anxiety or depression (Appel et al., 2016; Haferkamp & Krämer, 2011; Hawes et al., Vogel et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2017), it may also strengthen one’s positive self-concept and provide feelings…”
BackgroundUtz, S., & Muscanell, N. L. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00628 · Cited by 16
Noman, A. S. M., Das, S., & Patil, S. (2019) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3290605.3300698 · Cited by 16
“Apart from privacy concerns that have been an ongoing issue from the early days of Facebook [1], more recent studies have linked Facebook use to other negative aspects, such as envy (e.g., [36]), depression (e.g., [5]), cyberstalking (e.g., [19]), cyberbullying (e.g., [38]), etc.”
BackgroundInvited Commentary: Evolution of Social Networks, Health, and the Role of Epidemiology
Aiello, A. E. (2017) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/kwx076 · Cited by 15
Ozimek, P., Brandenberg, G., Rohmann, E., & Bierhoff, H. (2023) · Behavioral Science · doi:10.3390/bs13100850 · Cited by 17
“In general, social comparisons elicited on SNSs tended to reduce subjective well-being [6,14,32–38].”
BackgroundMotivations for Active and Passive Social Media Use and Their Relation to Wellbeing
Seidman, G., Hudak, L. M., & Langlais, M. R. (2025) · Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies · doi:10.1155/hbe2/8812526 · Cited by 16
Rethinking social media and mental health: The role of emotion regulation difficulties
Brown, D. J., Scott, R. A., Ireland, R. E. E., Harness, J., Phipps, D. J., & Keech, J. J. (2025) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2025.108825 · Cited by 16
Pellicane, M. J., Cooks, J. A., & Ciesla, J. A. (2020) · Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health · doi:10.1080/19359705.2020.1776805 · Cited by 18
Lim, H., Kakonge, L., Hu, Y., Turkstra, L. S., Duff, M. C., Toma, C. L., & Mutlu, B. (2023) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3544548.3581222 · Cited by 16
“As such, participants’ general perceptions of social media as a source of negativity and social comparison are remarkably similar to the feelings and descriptions reported by non-injured individuals in the literature [5, 72].”
de Brabandere, M., Hudders, L., & Vanwesenbeeck, I. (2025) · Psychology and Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.22192 · Cited by 15
Facebook users’ loneliness based on different types of interpersonal relationships
Lim, M., & Kim, J. (2018) · Information Technology and People · doi:10.1108/itp-04-2016-0095 · Cited by 15
“This result might be extended to loneliness, which is the focus of our research, if we consider depression to be one example of individuals’ lowered psychological well-being driven by envious feelings (Appel et al., 2016).”
BackgroundNijjer, S., & Raj, S. (2020) · Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society · doi:10.1108/jices-08-2019-0093 · Cited by 16
Design Implications for One-Way Text Messaging Services that Support Psychological Wellbeing
Bhattacharjee, A., Pang, J., Liu, A., Mariakakis, A. T., & Williams, J. J. (2022) · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction · doi:10.1145/3569888 · Cited by 17
“The evolution of social media has exacerbated this issue, as many people attempt to portray their best selves on their profile pages [3, 4].”
BackgroundIdentitätsbildung in sozialen Medien
Kneidinger-Müller, B. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-03765-9_4 · Cited by 15
Metadata
- 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
- 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
