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 ]).”
BackgroundChou, H.-T. G., & Edge, N. (2012) · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2011.0324 · Cited by 1,166
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
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×
“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×
“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×
“[58]).”
Smith, R. H., & Kim, S. H. (2007) · Psychological bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.46 · Cited by 918 · cited 4×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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].”
BackgroundStudents’ and teachers’ use of Facebook
Hew, K. F. (2011) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.11.020 · Cited by 737
Leveling 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×
“Furthermore, recent evidence [51,52] shows that unflattering social comparisons can elicit two distinct forms of envy.”
BackgroundManago, A. M., Taylor, T., & Greenfield, P. M. (2012) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0026338 · Cited by 657
Vogel, 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 632 · cited 4×
“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 ].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialThe 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×
“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 ]).”
BackgroundSeeing 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×
“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×
“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×
“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 499
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×
“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×
“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×
“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×
“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 375 · cited 1×
“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 358 · cited 1×
“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
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
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×
“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×
“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
Self-citationBlomfield neira, C. J., & Barber, B. L. (2014) · Australian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/ajpy.12034 · Cited by 247 · 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 ]).”
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×
“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
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×
“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×
“[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×
“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×
“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 174 · cited 4×
“[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×
“SNS self-presentation is frequently motivated by impression management [16] and the presented information is positively skewed [17,18].”
BackgroundGlancing 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 134
Desire 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×
“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 122 · cited 1×
“[33 ,41,42]).”
Desire for control, locus of control, and proneness to depression
Burger, J. (1984) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e330282004-009 · Cited by 99
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×
“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. B. (2012) · Journal of Educational Computing Research · doi:10.2190/ec.46.4.d · Cited by 71 · cited 1×
“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×
“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
Cyberpsychology and new media: a thematic reader
(2014) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.51-4730 · Cited by 32
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×
“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×
“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
“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
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
Social Media and Mental Health
Braghieri, L., Levy, R., & Makarin, A. (2022) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.20211218 · Cited by 673
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
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
