If you struggle with social anxiety, it might sometimes feel so overwhelming that it is difficult to identify where the unpleasant feeling is stemming from. New research published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology might help with this mystery by suggesting that social comparisons play a key role in social anxiety. Their discoveries found that those who experience social anxiety view themselves as inferior to other individuals, leading to a lowered mood.
Study author Fallon R. Goodman is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida and director of the Emotion and Resilience Lab, and he provided PsyPost with insight into this study. He states that “We regularly compare ourselves to other people to determine where we fall on the social hierarchy. Am I happier than others? More successful? More attractive? More intelligent? Social comparisons are inevitable in highly interconnected societies and likely have powerful influences on our mood and social anxiety. Our study offers a first step in mapping these relationships.”
Goodman and her colleagues had 186 undergraduate students complete an assessment of trait social anxiety. Through this study, it was found that those with high levels of social anxiety agree with statements like “I have difficulty talking with other people” and “I worry about expressing myself in case I appear awkward.”
These participants were asked to complete a survey every night before bed for at least 21 days. Through analyzing these surveys, the researchers discovered that the participants usually reported lower positive moods and higher negative moods on days when they compared themselves to others in a negative way. The less favorable comparisons were linked to higher levels of daily social anxiety. This relationship was slightly stronger for those who have higher levels of general anxiety.
Unexpectedly, the researchers found that there was no evidence of trait social anxiety moderating the relationship between social comparisons and mood. The researchers emphasize that this could be a result of the characteristics of the sample, and the students actually had relatively low levels of social anxiety.
The researchers then conducted a follow-up study where they compared 42 adults diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder to a control group of 45 psychologically healthy adults. This second study used a 2-week ecological momentary assessment design. Participants were asked to fill out surveys about their current mood, social anxiety, and social comparisons throughout the day.
Each of the studies pointed to the fact that social anxiety is associated with negative social comparisons. It was also shown that the individuals who compared themselves in a more positive light in comparison to other people experienced more positive moods and were experiencing negative moods less.
“This research has two major take-homes. First, social comparisons are closely linked with mood. When participants rated themselves as better off than other people, they also felt more positive emotions, fewer negative emotions, and less social anxiety than when they rated themselves as worse off,” Goodman explains to PsyPost.
“These self-views, however, fluctuated throughout the day, suggesting that they may be amenable to change with targeted interventions. Second, people with social anxiety frequently worry about being scrutinized, judged, and rejected by other people, and our study found that these social concerns might be due to negative self-views. Specifically, we found that throughout the day, participants with high social anxiety viewed themselves as more socially inferior than participants low in social anxiety.”
The participants were asked to generally compare themselves to others, but it’s important to note that comparisons to different types of people could lead to different outcomes. For example, comparing themselves to a world-class athlete might not have crushed their moods, but comparing yourself to a teammate that performed better than you might lead to a decrease in mood.
Pay attention to your thoughts when you are feeling socially anxious. Constantly drawing comparisons between yourself and others prevents you from being able to enjoy the present moment. If you are struggling with social anxiety, reach out to a therapist who can help you work out how to reduce these unpleasant feelings.
References:
The study, “Social comparisons and social anxiety in daily life: An experience-sampling approach“, was authored by Fallon R. Goodman, Kerry C. Kelso, Brenton M. Wiernik, and Todd B. Kashdan.
Dolan, Eric W. “Social Anxiety Linked to Unfavorable and Unstable Social Comparisons.” PsyPost, 11 Feb. 2022, https://www.psypost.org/2022/02/social-anxiety-linked-to-unfavorable-and-unstable-social-comparisons-62587.