Stage 3 · Lesson 1 of 6
Why we compare
Psychologists have studied social comparison since the 1950s, when Leon Festinger proposed that people judge themselves partly by comparing with others. It is natural and sometimes useful: seeing a senior present well can show you what is possible.
Comparing upwards with people far ahead can motivate, or leave you feeling small; comparing downwards can comfort you, or make you complacent. What matters is how often you compare, with whom, and what you do with it. In South Asian families, comparison is often built in, from cousins' marks to neighbours' children's jobs.
Common trapcomparing your whole life with one slice of someone else's: their best result against your worst week.
A question to check yourself and an AI practice session come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Practise
Keep handy
Also worth your time
Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).