How do utilitarian versus hedonic products influence choice preferences: Mediating effect of social comparison

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aiping Shao ◽  
Hong Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Hedonic Products

Social comparison orientation and mental health: The mediating role of psychological capital

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoliang Yang ◽  
Zhihua Wang ◽  
Weijiong Wu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Comparison Orientation ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Little is known about the relationship between social comparison orientation and mental health, especially in the psychological capital context. We proposed a theoretical model to examine the impact of ability- and opinion-based social comparison orientation on mental health using data from 304 undergraduates. We also examined the mediating effect of the four psychological capital components of hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism in the relationship between social comparison orientation and mental health. Results show that an ability (vs. opinion) social comparison orientation was negatively (vs. positively) related to the psychological capital components. Further, the resilience and optimism components of psychological capital fully mediated the social comparison orientation–mental health relationship. Our findings indicate that psychological capital should be considered in the promotion of mental health, and that the two social comparison orientation types have opposite effects on psychological capital.

The more envious the consumer, the more impulsive? The moderating role of self-monitoring and product type

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinsheng Cui ◽  
Mengwei Zhang ◽  
Chaonan Yin ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Jianan Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Product Type ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Comparison Theory ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Purpose This paper aimed to explore the influence of envy on impulsive consumption from aspects of the internal psychological mechanism and boundary conditions.Design/methodology/approach Based on social comparison theory, four studies were conducted in this research: The first study explored the effect of envy on impulsive consumption; the second study explored the moderating effect of self-monitoring and the mediating effect of materialism; the third study explored the moderating effect of product type and the fourth study explored the effectiveness of social comparison contexts on the arousal of envy.Findings Study 1 showed that envy could significantly trigger consumers' impulsive consumption. Study 2 indicated that participants experiencing self-monitoring had a higher level of materialism and a stronger propensity to consume impulsively once the emotion of envy emerged. Study 3 suggested that when participants were more envious, their levels of materialism increased with more impulsivity to buy material products. Study 4 revealed that upward comparisons led to a higher level of envy and re-validated the mediating role of materialism between envy and impulsive consumption.Research limitations/implications This study provides evidence for the association between envy and consumer behaviour and clarifies the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between envy and impulsive consumption.Practical implications Marketers could take advantage of consumers' envy after social comparisons without damaging brand image.Originality/value First, this study extended the effects of envy on consumer decisions, suggesting that envy stimulates impulsive consumption by increasing consumers' materialism. Second, this study revealed the boundary condition of product type, namely, material and experiential.

Upward social comparison and Facebook users’ grandiosity

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 635-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myungsuh Lim ◽  
Yoon Yang
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Upward Comparison ◽  
Upward Social Comparison ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to confirm the causal relationship, in an upward social comparison, of envy, loneliness and subjective well-being (SWB). Particularly, the authors address the mediating roles, each, of benign envy (BE) and malicious envy (ME) as different types of envy. In addition, the authors explore the grandiosity of users, in terms of narcissistic personalities, and whether it has discriminatory impacts on this causal relationship. Design/methodology/approach The authors re-enacted a situation that users confront on Facebook as a quasi-experiment to determine if there is an effectual relationship among variables in the path of upward comparison, envy, loneliness and SWB. First, the authors divided envy into BE and ME to examine its mediating role in the path of upward comparison and loneliness. Second, the authors examined the differentiated effects of both kinds of envy and loneliness on SWB. Finally, the authors determined if users’ grandiose, narcissistic behaviour has moderating effects on the path of each variable. Findings The results revealed that upward comparison has a positive effect on both kinds of envy; however, in the path of loneliness, only ME operated and played a mediating role. Furthermore, grandiosity had a partially significant moderating effect. Research limitations/implications This study has the following theoretical implications. The mediating effect of envy was identified in the path of upward comparison, loneliness and SWB. Research limitation is as follows: this study could not effectively reflect individual differences. It is necessary to include individual difference variables in later research, including characteristics of social comparison. Practical implications This study has the following practical implications. Social comparison on Facebook poses a more serious problem than it does offline; therefore, users need to protect their own SWB. If users can actively cope with the information of others and selectively choose their upward comparison targets, they can reduce their loneliness and improve their SWB as expected in the hypotheses. Social implications The “unfriending” events that occur on Facebook may be explained by the mediating phenomenon of ME. The research showed that the excessive narcissism of users on Facebook is an inconsistent information with real selves of users, thus triggering the ME, which causes avoidance from other Facebook users. Originality/value The authors have proven that social comparison and envy emotion are the causes of the loneliness, while the authors are on Facebook. Especially, the mediation role of BE and ME are discussed in a distinguished manner. Also, the authors confirmed that the influence of narcissism could further aggravate the problem of loneliness. Finally, the authors found that the variables of the study also affect the SWB of the Facebook user.

scholarly journals Trading Data for Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 62-84
Author(s):  
Sven Joeckel ◽  
Jakob Henke ◽  
Leyla Dogruel
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Comparison Theory ◽  
Social Comparison Orientation ◽  
Mhealth Apps

mHealth apps are growing in popularity among smartphone users. Such apps often contain social features that enable users to compare their behavior with others but to function, mHealth apps require users to share health information which is considered a threat to individuals’ privacy. Building on social comparison theory and research on privacy decision-making, we investigate the effects of users’ social comparison orientation and privacy attitudes as well as the potential mediating effect of health information disclosure on users’ intention to use a dietary app. Relying on a PLS-based structural-equation model in a sample of N = 528 participants, our study supports claims of a positive effect of social comparison orientation on intention to use a mHealth app. Further, the negative effect of privacy attitude and the positive mediation of information disclosure were supported as well. The study also demonstrated that findings were stable when the context of information disclosure is changed.

scholarly journals Effect of Upward Social Comparison in SNS on Depression among Middle School Students: The Mediating Effect of Self-Deprecation and the Moderated Mediating Effect of Cognitive Flexibility

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-367
Author(s):  
Se Young Lee ◽  
Ju Hee Park
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
School Students ◽  
Upward Social Comparison ◽  
Difficult Situations

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of middle school students’self-deprecation in the relationship between upward social comparison in social network service (SNS) and depression and the moderated mediating effect of cognitive flexibility. The participants were 288 middle school students, in the first to third grades from four middle schools located in Seoul, Gyeong-gi, and Jeonnam. The date were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficients and the Process Macro Model 4, 1, and 14.The results of this study are as follows. First, an upward comparison in SNS has a significant positive influence on students’depression, and students' self-deprecation of students mediated the relation between two. Second, the level of control, which is a sub-factor of cognitive flexibility, moderated the mediating effect of self-deprecation. That is, if students are more likely to perceive difficult situations as controllable, upward social comparison in SNS mediated by self-deprecation has smaller effect on depression.Based on these results, we suggest practical interventions to reduce depression among middle school students by decreasing upward social comparison in SNS and self-deprecation. In addition, helping students perceive difficult situations as controllable could be another effective way of reducing depression among those students who have a high level of self-deprecation in upward social comparison in SNS.

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