07/14/2025

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Social comparisons come with inherent cognitive errors and suffering

Using others as a measuring stick to assess your own worth is widely embedded in our highly competitive culture. This process starts fairly early in childhood when students are stratified based on academic merit. The rise in youth sports popularity has further reinforced this process as children compete against one another to make their desired sports team.

It is completely understandable that you would compare yourself to your peers to determine your standing in different facets of life. You might look at someone’s house or cars to assess how financially successful you are compared to them. If you are in academia or medicine, you may look at someone’s publications and credentials to gauge how your professional achievements stack up to theirs. 

The rise of social media has intensified this process. With the scroll of a finger, you can engage in an endless stream of social comparisons in every facet of your life. Our youth are particularly vulnerable to the effects of social media because they deeply care about how they are perceived by their peers.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.