The Influence of Social Comparison on Visual Representation of One’s Face

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Ethan Zell, Assistant Professor (Creator)

Institution

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )

Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Can the effects of social comparison extend beyond explicit evaluation to visual self-representation—a perceptual stimulus that is objectively verifiable, unambiguous, and frequently updated? We morphed images of participants’ faces with attractive and unattractive references. With access to a mirror, participants selected the morphed image they perceived as depicting their face. Participants who engaged in upward comparison with relevant attractive targets selected a less attractive morph compared to participants exposed to control images (Study 1). After downward comparison with relevant unattractive targets compared to control images, participants selected a more attractive morph (Study 2). Biased representations were not the products of cognitive accessibility of beauty constructs; comparisons did not influence representations of strangers’ faces (Study 3). We discuss implications for vision, social comparison, and body image.

The Influence of Social Comparison on Visual Representation of One’s Face
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Created on 6/13/2012
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Additional Information

Publication

PLoS ONE 7(5): e36742

Language: English

Date: 2012

Keywords

social comparison, self-representation, body image