Social comparison theory: A review and future directions.

Caliskan, Ferhat; Idug, Yavuz; Uvet, Hasan; Gligor, Nichole; Kayaalp, Alper

Social comparison theory provides valuable insights into how individuals assess themselves by comparing various facets of their lives to others. This theory offers a framework that helps in understanding the motivations behind self‐evaluation and improvement, as well as shaping consumer behaviors. The extensive body of research related to the theory has resulted in numerous publications across various domains, hindering a comprehensive overview of the research field and constraining its progress. Our multi‐disciplinary study addresses the fragmented scholarly landscape through a hierarchical bibliometric analysis, unveiling key authors, themes, and connections, and emphasizing its current state and future potential, particularly in the marketing domain. Our research indicates that interest in social comparison theory has surged, driven by social media's impact on body image and self‐esteem. Our findings also highlight the significance of themes such as body image, envy, social media, motivation, and life satisfaction, revealing the multifaceted expansion of the theory across various fields.

SOCIAL comparison; MOTIVATION (Psychology); CONSUMER behavior; SOCIAL media; BODY image; MARKETING

Psychology & Marketing, 2024, Vol 41, Issue 11, p2823

0742-6046

Academic Journal

10.1002/mar.22087