BACKGROUND Appearance comparison has consistently been shown to engender body image dissatisfaction. To date, most studies have demonstrated this relationship between appearance comparison and body image dissatisfaction in the context of conventional media images depicting the thin-ideal. Social comparison theory posits that people are more likely to compare themselves to similar others. Since ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the role of social comparison for body dissatisfaction in bulimia nervosa (BN). Previous research suggested that exposure to media content idealizing thin body shape decreases body satisfaction, particularly in women with eating disorder symptoms. This might be due to the negative outcome of social comparisons with media models, and women with eating disorders might be pa...

In this paper, we study how social planners should exploit social comparisons to pursue their objectives. We consider two modes of social comparison, referred to as behind-averse and ahead-seeking behaviors, depending on whether individuals experience a utility loss from underperforming or a utility gain from overperforming relative to their peers. Modeling social comparison as a game between p...

This study examines the impacts of social comparison processes on men and women to investigate any potential gender differences by utilizing survey research (N D 134). This study also investigates the different impacts of magazine and television social comparison processes on men’s and women’s body perceptual gap and body satisfaction. Last, this study tests the validity of a new scale based on...

There is continued interest in mindfulness-based therapies for eating disorders, with self-compassion identified as a key psychological construct. Self-compassion has been shown to be associated with positive body image. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of social comparison as a possible mediator of the relationship between self-compassion and both positive body image and bo...

The verbal messages that contextualize exposure to idealized body imagery may moderate media users' body satisfaction. Such contextualizing verbal messages often take the form of social comparison motives in fashion magazines, while body dissatisfaction is an important mechanism underlying various body image-related health issues like depression and unbalanced weight status. Hence, the present ...

The rapid growth in online sales shows that online purchase has become a mainstream for modern consumers to acquire goods and services. In this research, we propose to use Prospect Theory as the theoretical basis to account for consumers’ psychological states in an online purchasing environment. In particular, we aim to empirically investigate whether social comparison acts as an essential fact...

Intuitive eating (i.e., eating in response to internal cues) has been shown to be negatively related to disordered eating in women. The acceptance model of intuitive eating proposes that intuitive eating results from increased body appreciation, lowered self-objectification and body acceptance by others. As yet, this model has not been tested in adolescent girls; a group vulnerable to eating pa...