Cited by 605Impact of Technology on AdolescentsMental Health via WritingEmotions and Moral Behavior

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

Appel, Helmut, Gerlach, Alexander L, Crusius, Jan·2016·Current Opinion in Psychology

DOI 10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.10.006

Published version of a preprint

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

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

Crossref · 10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.10.006

Cites

61 of 61 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

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?

The benefits of Facebook “friends:” Social capital and college students' use of online social network sites.
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].”
Background
Ecological 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
Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College Students' Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation
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.”
Background
Does 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.”
Background
Who 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].”
Background
Facebook 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.”
Background
TARGET 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.”
Background
Social 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.”
BackgroundInfluential
Why do people use Facebook?
Nadkarni, 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 ]).”
Background
A 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

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 61 references

Sorted by citations

Items 201–300 of 604

The Welfare Effects of Social MediaPreprint
Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. A. (2018) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3308640 · Cited by 22
Understanding Social Comparison Dynamics on Social Media: A Qualitative Examination of Individual and Platform Characteristics
Derbaix, M., Masciantonio, A., Balbo, L., Lao, A., Camus, S., Tafraouti, S. I., & Bourguignon, D. (2025) · Psychology and Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.22194 · Cited by 32
“Social comparison on social media has emerged as a central topic in the literature, primarily due to its significant implications for individuals' subjective well ‐ being (Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius 2016).”
Influential
Similar Others, Social Comparison, and Social Support in Online Support Groups
Barta, K., Wolberg, K., & Andalibi, N. (2023) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3610086 · Cited by 16
“comparison may detract from individual well-being [35]; this trend also appears in work on social comparison and well-being in online spaces, such as social media [9,16,91].”
Background
Subtle momentary effects of social media experiences: an experience sampling study of posting and social comparisons on connectedness and self-esteem
Desjarlais, M. (2024) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1093/jcmc/zmae004 · Cited by 14
Internal Fractures: The Competing Logics of Social Media Platforms
Christin, A., Bernstein, M. S., Hancock, J. T., Jia, C., Mado, M., Tsai, J. L., & Xu, C. (2024) · Social Media + Society · doi:10.1177/20563051241274668 · Cited by 20
“They criticized the oppressive social and beauty standards promoted on social media (Appel et al., 2016).”
Things online social networking can take away: Reminders of social networking sites undermine the desirability of offline socializing and pleasures
Li, S., Chang, Y. Y., & Chiou, W. (2016) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/sjop.12348 · Cited by 16
Toward a Design Theory of Game-Mediated Social Experiences - A Study of Among Us
Haqq, D., Saaty, M., Rukaj, J. T., Marulkar, S., Israel, J., Newton, E., Patel, R., Tan, S., & McCrickard, D. S. (2021) · Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play · doi:10.1145/3450337.3483469 · Cited by 14
“may negatively impact feelings of connectedness and relatedness[1, 5, 11] there are other bodies of work that illustrate that technology use could also have positive effects on relationship health and feelings of social closeness and connectedness [7, 16, 20, 24].”
Background
Look Up, Look Down: Articulating Inputs and Outputs of Social Media Social Comparison
Johnson, B. K. (2021) · Journal of Communication Technology · doi:10.51548/joctec-2021-003 · Cited by 13
“However, reviews of this nascent research area have concluded that existing evidence is too simplistic, imprecise, and prone to sweeping generalizations (Appel et al., 2016; Baker & Perez Algorta, 2016; Feinstein et al., 2015; Guernsey, 2014).”
Background
Internet Addiction Disorder and Mental Health in Adolescents
Masih, J., & Rajkumar, R. (2019) · Journal of Depression & Anxiety · Cited by 13
Psychotherapy in the Digital Age: What We Can Learn From Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Swartz, H. A., & Novick, D. M. (2020) · American Journal of Psychotherapy · doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20190040 · Cited by 17
Facebook Addiction Partially Mediated the Association Between Stress Symptoms and Sleep Disturbance Among Facebook Users
Ho, T. T. Q. (2021) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-021-00619-7 · Cited by 13
“…of social media or Facebook can lead to three problems in relationships (jealousy, loneliness, and lack of care) (Nongpong & Charoensukmongkol, 2016), envy, and social comparison (Charoensukmongkol, 2018), which in turn leads to psychological problems (Appel et al., 2016; Moeller & Seehuus, 2019).”
Background
Social Media Addiction
Panova, T., & Carbonell, X. (2022) · Studies in neuroscience, psychology and behavioral economics · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-04772-5_3 · Cited by 14
The relationship between mindfulness and envy: The mediating role of emotional intelligence
Xiang, Y., Dong, X., Zhao, J., Li, Q., Zhao, J., & Zhang, W. (2021) · PsyCh Journal · doi:10.1002/pchj.493 · Cited by 13
The Moderating Role of Social Network Size on Social Media Use and Self-Esteem: An Evolutionary Mismatch Perspective
Lim, A. J., Lau, C., & Li, N. P. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.734206 · Cited by 12
“With the constant exposure to information about how perfect the lives of others are, people consistently perceive that others are better off than oneself (Chou and Edge, 2012; de Vries and Kühne, 2015; Appel et al., 2016).”
Background
The Effect of a 1-Week Abstinence From Instagram on Mental Health in Youth and Young Adults
Schwarz, D., Steinau, K., Kraus, L., & In‐Albon, T. (2022) · Kindheit und Entwicklung · doi:10.1026/0942-5403/a000392 · Cited by 13
An integrative literature review of birth cohort and time period trends in adolescent depression in the United States
Askari, M. S., Belsky, D. W., Olfson, M., Breslau, J. A., Mojtabai, R., Kajeepeta, S., Bruzelius, E., & Keyes, K. M. (2023) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-023-02527-8 · Cited by 14
“Increases in social media use have been hypothesized to a major driver of observed increases in poor adolescent mental health in the past decade [1–5].”
Modern relationships and social media: exploring the digital dynamics of husband–wife interactions
Jabali, O. M., Hamamra, B. T., & Mahamid, F. (2024) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-024-04289-3 · Cited by 12
“Such a dynamic can inadvertently impose undue pressures or cultivate misaligned expectations, thereby recalibrating and potentially destabilizing inherent relationship dynamics (Verduyn et al. 2020; Appel et al. 2016).”
Em busca de "likes": A influência das mídias sociais no comportamento do consumidor no consumo de viagens
Brito, F. W. C., & de Freitas, A. A. F. (2019) · PASOS Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural · doi:10.25145/j.pasos.2019.17.008 · Cited by 12
Browsing makes you feel less bad: An ecological momentary assessment of passive Qzone use and young women's negative emotions
Yin, X.-Q., Xin-xue, Z., Scherr, S., & Wang, J. (2021) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114373 · Cited by 16
“An Incredible Amount of Stress before You Even Put a Shovel in the Ground”: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Farming Stressors in Canada
Thompson, R., Hagen, B. N. M., Lumley, M. N., Winder, C. B., Gohar, B., & Jones‐Bitton, A. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15086336 · Cited by 13
The rise of metric-based digital status: an empirical investigation into the role of status perceptions in envy on social networking sites
Meythaler, A., Krause, H.-V., Baumann, A., Krasnova, H., & Thatcher, J. B. (2023) · European Journal of Information Systems · doi:10.1080/0960085x.2023.2290707 · Cited by 14
“At the same time, envy has been linked to a range of undesirable outcomes for SNS users, including depression (e.g., Appel et al., 2016), anxiety (Liu & Ma, 2020) and exhaustion (Wang et al., 2021).”
Optimizing live streaming engagement through store atmospheric cues: exploring prosocial behavior and social comparison—insights from streamers and viewers
Lyu, J., Liang, Y. D., & Vellore-Nagarajan, D. (2024) · Internet Research · doi:10.1108/intr-01-2024-0073 · Cited by 11
Emotions and Spillover Effects of Social Networks Affective Well Being
Rubin, E., & Beuk, F. (2021) · Journal of Organizational and End User Computing · doi:10.4018/joeuc.20210901.oa1 · Cited by 12
Impact of social comparison on perceived online academic futility: A perspective from parents
Wang, Q., Song, X., Hong, J., Li, S., Zhang, M., & Yang, X. (2022) · Education and Information Technologies · doi:10.1007/s10639-022-11402-z · Cited by 11
“Then, individuals could have negative social comparisons and negative emotions (e.g., stress, anxiety and perceived service satisfaction), which could reduce the individual’s recognition of online communication (Appel et al., 2016; Niu et al., 2018, 2020).”
BackgroundInfluential
Comparison, Competition, and Consumption: The 3Cs of Contemporary Motherhood in the Context of Children’s Education
Chae, J. (2022) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-022-01334-w · Cited by 9
“, 2016; Chan & Prendergast, 2008; Tiggemann & McGill, 2004), and more information exposure is associated with more frequent social comparison (Appel et al., 2016; Chae, 2015).”
Background
BENIGN AND MALICIOUS ENVY SCALE: AN ASSESSMENT OF ITS FACTOR STRUCTURE AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES
Fam, J. Y., Yap, C. Y. L., Murugan, S. B., & Lee, T. (2020) · Psychological Thought · doi:10.37708/psyct.v13i1.389 · Cited by 11
“…emotion, it is not surprising to find envy associated with various emotional and behavioral problems when left unchecked, such as depression (Appel et al., 2016), psychological distress (Thompson et al., 2016), schadenfreude (Blom, 2015), harmful behavior (Duffy et al., 2008), and unethical…”
Background
“# FITNESS”: impact of Instagram on exercise adherence and self-efficacy
Chaudhary, K., & Dhillon, M. (2021) · International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1612197x.2020.1869804 · Cited by 10
Identifying protective and risk behavior patterns of online communication in young people
Lowthian, E., Fee, G., Wakeham, C., Clegg, Z., Crick, T., & Anthony, R. (2023) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1002/jad.12270 · Cited by 11
(Self-)Envy, Digital Technology, and Me
Osler, L. (2024) · Topoi · doi:10.1007/s11245-024-10047-6 · Cited by 10
“People we might envy (Appel et al. 2016; Vries et al. 2018 ; Protasi 2021a; Tandoc and Goh 2023).”
Background
Self‐concept clarity and envy as mediators between upward social comparison on social networking sites and subjective well‐being
Niu, X., Gou, L.-X., Han, Y., Zhou, X., & Wang, J. (2024) · British Journal of Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjdp.12538 · Cited by 10
How we use Facebook to achieve our goals: a priming study regarding emotion regulation, social comparison orientation, and unaccomplished goals
Ozimek, P., Bierhoff, H., & Hamm, K. M. (2020) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-020-00859-1 · Cited by 13
High achievers, Schadenfreude and Gluckschmerz in New Zealanders and Chinese
Phillips, J. G., Landhuis, C. E., Wood, J. K., & Wang, Y. (2022) · PsyCh Journal · doi:10.1002/pchj.582 · Cited by 10
“It seems that upwards comparisons and the monitoring of others’ achievements can cause depression (Appel et al., 2016; Krasnova et al., 2015; Tandoc et al., 2015).”
Background
Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
Rajan, B., Jose, L. G., & Sundar, T. (2022) · Palabra Clave · doi:10.5294/pacla.2022.25.2.5 · Cited by 12
Thinking About the Joneses?
Weber, S., & Hagmayer, Y. (2018) · European Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1027/2512-8442/a000013 · Cited by 10
Parental Social Comparison Related to Tutoring Anxiety, and Guided Approaches to Assisting Their Children's Home Online Learning During the COVID-19 Lockdown
Yang, Q.-Y., Gu, J.-J., & Hong, J.-C. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708221 · Cited by 10
Digital Self-Control and the Neoliberalization of Social Media Well-Being
Docherty, N. (2021) · International journal of communication · Cited by 10
When Every Day is a High School Reunion: Social Media Comparisons and Self-EsteemPreprint
Midgley, C., Thai, S., Lockwood, P., Kovacheff, C., & Page‐Gould, E. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/a24sv · Cited by 11
Diversity of social media use: Self-selection explains associations between using many platforms and well-being
Lohmann, S., & Zagheni, E. (2023) · PLOS Digital Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pdig.0000292 · Cited by 9
Impact of Social Media on Adolescence: Mapping Emerging Needs to Build Resilient Skills
Linares, C. F., González-Yubero, S., Medrano, M. M., & Moreno, M. J. C. (2023) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc13110238 · Cited by 9
“However, it could also be that using social media makes social relationships worse [9,10].”
Background
More social media friends, more life satisfaction?– why fear of missing out leads to contrary effects
Ozimek, P., Reimann, L., Brailovskaia, J., Bierhoff, H., & Rohmann, E. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-06778-9 · Cited by 13
“Our research thus joins a series of many papers that clearly foreground the disadvantages of use (cf., Appel et al., 2016; Brailovskaia et al., 2020a, b, c ; Ozimek & Bierhoff, 2019; Verduyn et al., 2015, 2017).”
The Impact of Positive Purchase-Centered UGC on Audience’s Purchase Intention: Roles of Tie Strength, Benign Envy and Purchase Type
Duan, J. (2021) · Journal of Internet Commerce · doi:10.1080/15332861.2021.2001737 · Cited by 9
“2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC social media (Appel, Gerlach, and Crusius 2016).”
Background
Too Positive to Be Tweeted? An Experimental Investigation of Emotional Expression on Twitter and Instagram
Masciantonio, A., & Bourguignon, D. (2023) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2023.2236935 · Cited by 12
“By manipulating SNSs contents, this research offers better internal validity than the existing literature; however these contents cannot reflect the actual experience of SNS users, and this research cannot grant external validity (Appel et al., 2016).”
Background
Effect of social media usage on major depressive disorder among generation Z: a study in Indian context
Bhat, I. H., Gupta, S., & Bhat, G. M. (2023) · Information Discovery and Delivery · doi:10.1108/idd-07-2022-0071 · Cited by 11
The Role of Social Comparison and Rumination in Predicting Social Media Addiction
Kocabıyık, O. O. (2021) · International Journal of Research in Education and Science · doi:10.46328/ijres.1756 · Cited by 12
How Downward and Upward Comparisons on Facebook Influence Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissists’ Self-Esteem—A Priming Study
Ozimek, P., Bierhoff, H., & Rohmann, E. (2021) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs11030039 · Cited by 9
“In the Facebook context, attractive profiles of others caused stronger user feelings of inferiority than unattractive profiles [30].”
Background
Measuring the Impact of Social Media on Young People's Mental Health: Development and Validation of the Social Media-Induced Tendency Scale
Ugwu, L., Idemudia, E., Chukwu, O. O., & Onyedibe, M. (2023) · Depression Research and Treatment · doi:10.1155/2023/8677521 · Cited by 11
Adolescent internet use predicts higher levels of generalized and social anxiety symptoms for girls but not boys
Tiraboschi, G. A., Garon‐Carrier, G., Smith, J., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2023) · Preventive Medicine Reports · doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102471 · Cited by 15
“These unfavorable comparisons may lead to doubt and worry and have the potential to affect adolescents ’ social self-appraisal and well-being (Appel et al., 2016).”
Background
Understanding the relationship between Facebook use and adaptation to financial hardship: Evidence from a longitudinal panel study
Utz, S., & Maaß, C. H. (2018) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.08.021 · Cited by 9
Social Media as Sources of Emotions
Utz, S. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-13788-5_14 · Cited by 9
A network analysis of Facebook use and well-being in relation to key psychological variables: Replication and extension.
Faelens, L., de Putte, E. V., Hoorelbeke, K., Raedt, R. D., & Koster, E. H. W. (2020) · Psychology of Popular Media · doi:10.1037/ppm0000325 · Cited by 12
Extending the Hyperpersonal Model to Observing Others: The Hyperperception Model
Carpenter, C. J., & Spottswood, E. L. (2021) · Journal of Communication Technology · doi:10.51548/joctec-2021-010 · Cited by 9
Justice-making institutions and the ancestral logic of conflict
Sznycer, D., Sell, A. N., & Williams, K. E. G. (2023) · Evolution and Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.12.003 · Cited by 14
When Every Day is a High School Reunion: Social Media Comparisons and Self-EsteemPreprint
Midgley, C., Thai, S., Lockwood, P., Kovacheff, C., & Page‐Gould, E. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/zmy29 · Cited by 11
The effects of influencer marketing on purchase intention: exploring the roles of materialism, envy and wishful identification
Duan, J.-Y., & Brechman, J. (2024) · Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice · doi:10.1080/10696679.2024.2353717 · Cited by 9
“The findings of this research also contribute to the literature of social comparison on social media which mostly focuses on the association between envy and social comparison (e.g. Appel et al., 2016; Pera, 2018).”
Social platform use and psychological well‐being
Crolic, C., Zubcsek, P. P., Stephen, A. T., & Brooks, G. (2024) · Journal of Consumer Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcpy.1437 · Cited by 10
Who posts the advertisement: The influence of advertising authorship on in‐feed advertising effectiveness
Ma, C., Zhou, H., Wang, L., & Jiang, Y. (2024) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.2391 · Cited by 7
Understanding envy and fear of missing out in travel posts: The effects of Instagram sources and landmark types
Kim, M. J., & Kim, D.-Y. (2024) · Journal of Destination Marketing & Management · doi:10.1016/j.jdmm.2024.100959 · Cited by 13
Sosyal Ağ Sitelerinin Kullanımı ve Öznel İyi Oluş
TOSUN, L. P. (2019) · Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry · doi:10.18863/pgy.468532 · Cited by 8
Others' fortune in online vs offline settings: how envy affects people's intention to share information
Vázquez, A. S., & Chica, M. (2021) · Internet Research · doi:10.1108/intr-10-2019-0412 · Cited by 8
Social media intensity and first-year college students’ academic self-efficacy in Flanders and the United States
McNallie, J., Timmermans, E., Hall, E. D., den Bulck, J. V., & Wilson, S. R. (2019) · Communication Quarterly · doi:10.1080/01463373.2019.1703774 · Cited by 8
Does Downward Social Comparisons Affect Mobile Phone Addiction? Narcissism Matters!
Kong, F., Tang, F., Zhang, H., Sun, X., & Zhang, Y. (2020) · Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science · doi:10.1007/s41347-020-00136-9 · Cited by 8
The discontents of competition for recognition on social media: Perfectionism, ressentiment, and collective narcissism
Ceilutka, K. (2022) · Philosophy & Social Criticism · doi:10.1177/01914537211072883 · Cited by 11
Inferiority feelings and internet addiction among Turkish University students in the context of COVID-19: The mediating role of emotion dysregulation
Çimşir, E., & Akdoğan, R. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04661-7 · Cited by 9
The impact of seeing and posting photos on mental health and body satisfaction: A panel study among Dutch and Japanese adolescents
de Vaate, N. A. J. D. B., Veldhuis, J., & Konijn, E. A. (2023) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2023.107906 · Cited by 10
The Impact of Short-Form Video Use on Cognitive and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic ReviewPreprint
arouch, S., Edgcumbe, D., Pezaro, S., & da Silva, K. M. (2025) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2025.08.27.25334540 · Cited by 8
The influence of upward social comparison on social network sites on middle school students’ depression: A two-wave multiple mediation model
Yuan, M., Sun, Y., Wang, Y., & Yu, L. (2025) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579424001913 · Cited by 10
Linear self-acceptance and nonlinear social comparison: interacting influences on adolescent depression
Ruan, Q.-N., Zheng, Y., Shen, G., Xu, D., Yan, W., & Huang, Z. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-06873-6 · Cited by 13
“These findings suggest that a high orientation towards social comparison could be a risk factor for developing or exacerbating depressive symptoms [24, 25].”
The Effect of Social Media Addiction on Psychological Stress: The Indirect Role of Doomscrolling
Canoğulları, Ö. (2025) · Kuramsal Eğitimbilim · doi:10.30831/akukeg.1586146 · Cited by 14
Perception of Faces and Elaboration of Gender and Victim/Aggressor Stereotypes: The Influence of Internet Use and of the Perceiver’s Personality
Bracci, M., Guidi, S., Marchigiani, E., Masini, M., Palmitesta, P., & Parlangeli, O. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.561480 · Cited by 7
“Perhaps the ﬁrst among them is the intensiﬁcation of depressive symptoms that can become progressively more serious (Sampasa-Kanyinga and Hamilton, 2015; Appel et al., 2016; Escobar-Viera et al., 2018; Ozimek and Bierho � , 2019; Wartberg et al., 2020; Hussain et al., 2020).”
Background
Daily social comparisons among women in midlife with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease: A within‐person test of the identification/contrast model
Baga, K., Salvatore, G. M., Bercovitz, I., Mogle, J. A., & Arigo, D. (2024) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12553 · Cited by 7
The impact of social network use on adolescent depression: the chain mediation between self-objectification and body satisfaction
Tang, Y., Xu, M., Tan, Z., & Liu, Y. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347858 · Cited by 7
Being Mindfully Connected
Hefner, D., Knop, K., & Klimmt, C. (2017) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315276472-17 · Cited by 7
Does social media really pose a threat to young people’s well-being?
Brikjær, M., & Kaats, M. (2019) · Nordic Council of Ministers eBooks · doi:10.6027/nord2019-030 · Cited by 7
Facebooking for Good: Online Contact to Address Offline Conflict
Bouchillon, B. C. (2019) · Social Science Computer Review · doi:10.1177/0894439319874052 · Cited by 7
Субъективная оценка (не)благополучия населения регионов РФ на основе данных социальных сетей
Shchekotin, E. V., Мягков, М. Г., Goiko, V. L., Kashpur, V. V., & Коварж, Г. Ю. (2019) · Monitoring obŝestvennogo mneniâ: èkonomičeskie i socialʹnye peremeny · doi:10.14515/monitoring.2020.1.05 · Cited by 7
Sosyal Ağ Sitelerinde Fiziksel Görünüm Karşılaştırmaları, Bedeni Beğenme ve Depresyon
TOSUN, L. P., & Çoban, A. (2020) · Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry · doi:10.18863/pgy.711187 · Cited by 7
The effects of social-media based social comparison information and similarity mindsets on COVID-19 vaccination uptake cognitions
Herzog, N. K., Vasireddy, H., Drenner, D. A., & Rose, J. P. (2022) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-022-00321-6 · Cited by 10
Loneliness and Social Media Use Among Adolescents with Psychiatric Disorders
Schwartz-Lifshitz, M., Hertz‐Palmor, N., Dekel, I., Balan-Moshe, L., Mekori‐Domachevsky, E., Weisman, H., Kaufman, S., Gothelf, D., & Amichai‐Hamburger, Y. (2022) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2021.0337 · Cited by 11
“17 Several facets of online social media use have been previously studied and found to be associated with loneliness among adolescents.”
There's No Such Thing as Free Lunch but Envy among Young Facebookers
Iqbal, T., Yousafzai, M. T., Ali, S., Sattar, K., Saleem, M. Q., Habib, U., & Ur, A. (2018) · KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems · doi:10.3837/tiis.2018.10.006 · Cited by 7
“Most of the previous studies focused on college populations and gender differences [48].”
Background
Trying to unplug for 24 hours: Conspiracy mentality predicts social isolation and negative emotions when refraining from internet use
Jetten, J., Zhao, C., Álvarez, B., Kaempf, S., & Mols, F. (2023) · advances in/psychology · doi:10.56296/aip00003 · Cited by 6
Combating Health Misinformation Through Fact-Checking: The Role of Active Versus Passive Social Media Involvement
Zhou, X., Pan, W., & Jiang, S. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2025.2476705 · Cited by 9
“…or non-targeted users (e.g., posting a status update, posting a comment or reply, chatting with others), whereas the latter refers to viewing or browsing behaviors without directly interacting with others (e.g., viewing pictures and status updates posted by others, lurking) (Appel et al., 2016).”
They are more beautiful than me! How social media use increases women’s body-related envy and cosmetic surgery consideration
Li, M., Li, X., Yang, F., & Zhang, T. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1628208 · Cited by 11
Associations Between Social Media Use and Anxiety and Depression Among Older Adults : Cross-Sectional Study
Huang, J.-L., Ge, Z., Chu, Y., Yan, Y., Zhang, W., Liang, H., Yang, Y.-Q., & Wang, H. (2025) · JMIR Aging · doi:10.2196/71712 · Cited by 5
“However, most published studies have focused on social media use among children, students, adolescents, and young adults, and older populations remain relatively understudied compared to these younger groups [15-17].”
Italian validation of the social anxiety scale for social media users (SAS-SMU) in a non-clinical sample
Raimondi, G., Clementi, R., Balsamo, M., Lester, D., Imperatori, C., & Innamorati, M. (2023) · Quality & Quantity · doi:10.1007/s11135-023-01690-z · Cited by 6
“For example, greater time spent on social media has been reported to be significantly associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (Lee et al. 2015), depression (Appel et al. 2016), and lower life satisfaction (Frison and Eggermont 2016).”
Self-construal modulates context-based social comparison preferences in outcome evaluations
Ge, C., Liu, P., Zhang, Z., Liu, Y., Wang, L., & Qi, Y. (2023) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108682 · Cited by 6
The role of crab mentality syndrome and the glass ceiling phenomenon on the career success and happiness at work of female teachers with the mediation of turnover intention
Jafari, S., Forouzande, N. F., Shirazi, L. N., & Zibad, M. A. (2023) · Quarterly Journal of Managing Education In Organizations · doi:10.61186/meo.12.4.43 · Cited by 6
The hustle is real: an examination of the self-related consequences of consuming idealized self-promotional content on LinkedIn
Oliver, S., Marder, B. L., Lavertu, L., Cowan, K. L., Javornik, A., & Osadchaya, E. (2024) · Information Technology and People · doi:10.1108/itp-02-2023-0134 · Cited by 9
Shyness and self-consistency and congruence among Chinese adolescents: mediating role of social comparison orientation and moderating role of self-focused attention
Yu, Y., & Sun, H. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1418123 · Cited by 9
“Previous researchers have also analyzed the negative impacts of social comparison orientation from various perspectives, including envy and dissatisfaction on social media, and discontent with body image (Tiggemann and McGill, 2004; Appel et al., 2016).”
Background
Online Social Comparison and Impostor Phenomenon Among Music Education Undergraduates
Rinn, T. J. (2024) · Journal of Music Teacher Education · doi:10.1177/10570837241277781 · Cited by 10
“…of their lives online while minimizing posts that may be perceived as negative (Reinecke & Trepte, 2014), social comparison is ubiquitous on social media sites (Appel et al., 2016) and may lead users to believe that others are “happier and living better lives” than them (Chou & Edge, 2012, p. 117).”
The role of social comparison in online learning motivation through the lens of social comparison theory
Wu, T., & Shakibaei, G. (2025) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105291 · Cited by 14
The role of dispositional envy, state envy, and social comparisons in predicting learning outcomes
Toomey, N., & Heo, M. (2022) · Learning and Motivation · doi:10.1016/j.lmot.2022.101845 · Cited by 7
Social Network Sites and Well-Being: Is it Only a Matter of Content?
Masciantonio, A., Résibois, M., Bouchat, P., & Bourguignon, D. (2023) · International Review of Social Psychology · doi:10.5334/irsp.736 · Cited by 5
How Do You Handle It? An Investigation of Facebook Affordances and Envy
Wallace, L. G., Warkentin, M. E., & Benbasat, I. (2018) · Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) · doi:10.24251/hicss.2018.655 · Cited by 6
The relationship between social comparison and depressive symptoms among Indonesian Instagram users
Gaol, L. A. L., Mutiara, A. B., Saraswati, N. L., Rahmadini, R., & Hilmah, M. A. (2018) · Universitas Indonesia International Psychology Symposium for Undergraduate Research (UIPSUR) · doi:10.2991/uipsur-17.2018.19 · Cited by 8
Playing Together while Apart
Haqq, D., & McCrickard, D. S. (2020) · Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play · doi:10.1145/3383668.3419886 · Cited by 6
Multi-platform social media use: little evidence of impacts on adult well-being
Lohmann, S., & Zagheni, E. (2020) · doi:10.4054/mpidr-wp-2020-023 · Cited by 6
“…conflicts (Abbey et al., 1985; Lepore, 1992), upsetting news (Szabo & Hopkinson, 2007; Veitch & Griffitt, 1976), and upward social comparisons (H. Appel et al., 2016; Gerber et al., 2018; Myers & Crowther, 2009) make people less satisfied with their lives, we could expect lower well-being for…”
Background
Envy
Levesque, R. J. R. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_497-2 · Cited by 6
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on Emerging Technology: Biased and Unbiased Adoption Decision MakingPreprint
Mari, A., Mandelli, A., & Algesheimer, R. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4736154 · Cited by 8
How different online self-presentations relate to different online feedback among adolescents: peer relationship as a mediator
Tian, L., Zhai, R., Wang, Y., Zhang, H., & Chen, J. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-05190-z · Cited by 7
“Possibly differently from their own imagine of response from others, the over-polished image may easily lead to audience’ upward social comparison (Appel et al., 2016), by which audience may experience negative emotions (Han et al., 2022).”
Associations between youth lifestyle habits, sociodemographic characteristics, and health status with positive mental health: A gender-based analysis in a sample of Canadian postsecondary students
Surprenant, R., Bezeau, D., Tiraboschi, G. A., Garon‐Carrier, G., Cabot, I., Brodeur, M., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2025) · Preventive Medicine Reports · doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103015 · Cited by 5
“Furthermore, girls spend more time on social media, which can lead to unfavorable or upward social comparisons, potentially affecting their self-esteem and well-being (Abi-Jaoude et al., 2020; Appel et al., 2016).”

Authors: Appel, H., Gerlach, A. L., & Crusius, J.
Affiliations: University of Cologne (DE)
Corresponding author: Appel, Helmut
ORCID: Appel, Helmut
Gerlach, Alexander L
Crusius, Jan
Venue: Current Opinion in Psychology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2016-06
Volume: 9
Pages: 44-49
ISSN: 2352-250X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.10.006
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
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
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

The interplay between Facebook use, social comparison, envy, and depression

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks