systematically comparing ourselves to others can make us feel less capable. To avoid comparison anxiety, it’s helpful to be aware of how assessing our success based on a subjective view of how we compare to others may lead to unnecessary stress and poor mental health.

Comparison anxiety has its roots in social comparison theory, which was initially proposed by social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954.

Social comparison not only helps us make sense of our own behaviours and assists us in defining who we are, but it drives us to improve and raise to the level of the ones we perceive as the most competent around us.

near-constant upward comparison can also leave us with a sense of failure and inadequacy, which leads us to suffer from comparison anxiety.

The researchers found that looking upwards was, in turn, associated with negative feelings and a greater chance of negative self-evaluation. Overall, social media use was found to result in lower subjective well-being due to its detrimental impact on our own self-esteem.

This threat of perceived inferiority hindered cognitive performance and “resulted in reduced ability to process information.” Peer-learning situations can therefore produce negative effects on performance if students are worried about how they compare to others.

using downward social comparison is a mere bandage that doesn’t really support better mental health.

By highlighting our own achievements, it will be easier to avoid the anxiety associated with comparing yourself to others.

Create a support circle. A support group can be another effective way to avoid comparison anxiety.