Discuss how social comparisons are related to happiness.
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: Examples should include a discussion of downward comparisons--we feel better when we compare ourselves to someone whose situation is worse off than our own. Rather than only using downward comparisons, happy people utilize social comparison to their advantage. This means that they seem to select the types of comparisons that will help maintain their happiness. They may be more realistic in their expectations to not expect the best life at all times. Recent research shows that happy people engage in social comparisons less often than others.
Cognitive Domain: Conceptual
Answer Location: Comments on the Cognitive Predictors
Difficulty Level: Medium
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