Social comparison and risk judgment: recent work and new directions

When people attempt to evaluate their personal standing on a variety of dimensions, they often compare themselves with others. This assertion was central to the development of social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), and has stimulated nearly 50 years of research – primarily in the areas of social psychology, clinical psychology, organizational behavior, and sociology. Social comparison processes have been explored in a broad range of domains including coping, negotiation, academic and work performance, happiness, emotion, and motivation. Numerous volumes have appeared on extensions and applications of the theory, including a recent handbook edited by Suls and Wheeler (2000).