Behavior Change Work @

dr. Ben & dr. Raoul

behavioral scientists

Should you compare

yourself with others
to increase your
motivation

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k h
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(reading time: less than three minutes)

An analysis of the facial expressions

of Olympic medalists revealed that
bronze medalists typically appear
happier than silver
medalists.
This may be explained by silver
medalists comparing themselves
to gold medalists thinking
“I could have won gold”...
… whereas bronze medalists are more likely
to compare themselves to a fourth-place
finisher with thoughts like
“At least I won a medal”. (1)
 People naturally assess
themselves by comparing
themselves to others. (2)

This tendency is called social

comparison and was originally
described by Leon Festinger in 1954.
 Comparing yourself to others may
occur in different directions.

You may compare or worse

yourself to others who on a given aspect,
perform either better (= downward social
(= upward social comparison). (2)
comparison)
 And both upward and downward
comparisons may affect your self-image.
Comparing downward can make
you feel better about yourself.
You might think, “Hey, I'm doing
better than them!”, which may
boost your self-esteem.
However, when you realize that others
might catch up, you might worry about
losing your advantage, which can
make you feel less confident.
 On the other hand, when you compare
yourself to someone who performs better
than you in certain ways, it may make you
feel bad about yourself.

You might think, “They do much better

than me, and I am not good enough”,
which compromises your self-esteem.
 Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests
upward comparisons can also make you
feel better about yourself.
 For example, if you have a close
relationship with the person you are
comparing yourself to, it can boost your
confidence.
 So, neither upward, nor downward
comparisons are bad.

They can both influence your self-

image in positive or negative ways. (2)
 The way people compare themselves
with others does not only influence their
self-image but also their motivation to
change their behaviors. (3)

How does this work?

Comparisons can influence motivation
to change by making you think about
versions of yourself that are different
from who you are right now.
For example, when you compare yourself to
people who perform better, they can
become positive role models.

You might look up to them and see them as

examples of who you want to be in the
future.
 On the other hand, when you compare
yourself to people who do worse than you,
they can become negative role models.

You might see them as versions of yourself

that you do not want to become.
In a way, these comparisons create images
of possible future selves that you either
aspire to be or want to avoid becoming.

These images of alternative selves can

influence your motivation and drive you to
engage in specific behaviors.
To foster motivation through comparisons,
you must perceive control over the
comparison dimension. (3)

For example, you love playing soccer, and

you have a friend who is really good at it.

You might compare your soccer skills to

your friend's and think, “I want to become
as good at soccer as she is” …
 This comparison can motivate you to
practice more, learn new techniques, and
improve your own skills.

In this case, you perceive control over the

comparison dimension (soccer skills), and it
motivates you to take action.
On the other hand, if instead you believe, “I
will never be as good at soccer as she is”,
you feel like you have no control over the
comparison dimension.

This can discourage you from trying or

putting in effort “Because why bother?”.
 Therefore, when comparing, we
believe it is essential to do that with a
growth mindset.

In other words, compare yourself believing

that you can learn and improve through
perseverance.
It is precisely the adoption of this mindset
that makes you perceive failure, setbacks,
and discomfort as progress (= learning)
instead of failure. (4)

And it may be the key to increasing

motivation through social comparison,
instead of hampering it.
In summary
So, in brief, if you compare yourself to
others to boost your motivation,
make sure to:

1) compare on a dimension that

you feel you can control, and

2) that you keep the end goal

of learning in mind.
Behavior Change @ Work
Our goal?
Sharing scientific knowledge about behavior for positive
changes in the workplace.
In a quick and easy way.

Dr. Ben: Behavioral Dr. Raoul: Behavioral

scientist, writer, and scientist, researcher, and
teacher. Find out more teacher. Find out more at:
at: www.drbentyler.com www.projectraoul.nl

 SOURCES
(1) William Hedgcock, Andrea Luangrath, & Raelyn
Webster (2021). Counterfactual thinking and facial
expressions among Olympic medalists: A conceptual
replication of Medvec, Madey, and Gilovich’s (1995)
findings. In: Journal of Experimental Psychology.

(2) Jerry Suls, René Martin, & Ladd Wheeler (2002). Social
comparison: Why, with whom, and with what effect?. In:
Current directions in psychological science.

(3) Penelope Lockwood & Rebecca Pinkus (2008). The

Impact of Social Comparisons on Motivation.

(4) Carol Dweck (1986). Motivational processes affecting

learning. In: American Psychologist.