Social Comparison Scale

What it measures

Measures the tendency to compare oneself with others — to use social comparison information to evaluate one's own opinions, abilities, and emotions. High social comparison orientation individuals habitually engage in social comparisons, especially when uncertain about their own standing. Used widely in social media and wellbeing research.

Representative items

• I often compare how I am doing socially (e.g., social skills, popularity) with other people.
• I always pay a lot of attention to how I do things compared with how others do things.
• I often compare myself with others with respect to what I have accomplished in life.
• It is important to me to know what others think in situations that are uncertain.
• If I want to find out how well I have done something, I compare what I have done with how others have done.

Citation

Gibbons, F.X., & Buunk, B.P. (1999). Individual differences in social comparison: Development of a scale of social comparison orientation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(1), 129–142.