Modern culture and technology have simplified our ability to compare ourselves with other people, mainly through Facebook, Instagram and hundreds of other platforms. However, constant comparison leads to the fact that we begin to consider ourselves as losers: no matter what happens, someone will always be one step ahead of you: someone has a much better job, a higher salary and a much prettier wife.
Happiness implies joy for the successes of others. According to a study by a psychology professor at the University of California, Sony Lubomirska, “unhappy people are much more likely to compare themselves with others and are very worried about the result.”
In the experiment “The Hedonistic Effects of Social Comparison”, Lyubomirskaya and her co-author Lee Ross of Stanford University analyzed the reaction of unfortunate and happy people to a negative and positive assessment during group testing.
Self-confidence among the happy participants in the experiment was strengthened both from the excellent result and from the good evaluation of the neighbor. At the same time, the level of confidence in unfortunate people increased only when they received a positive assessment and did not change in any way from the higher result of the neighbor.
“In general, the study revealed a very clear pattern: the unfortunate participants had greater confidence after they received an unimportant assessment, but at the same time, the other participants had a worse result than when they completed the task well, but their neighbors coped somewhat better - scientists note. “In similar situations, the level of confidence among happy participants remained almost unchanged.”
The habit of losing a good mood, as soon as someone is ahead, in the age of the Internet can poison your whole life, turning it into solid samoedstvo and envy. Instead of trying to keep up with all the hares, perhaps you should pay attention to your own particular path.
In a word, think less about others, think more about yourself and everything will be fine.