Emotional Dynamics of Social Comparisons: Nonlinear Relationships Between Comparison Extremity and Social Emotions, and Their Motivational Functioning

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Emotional Dynamics of Social Comparisons: Nonlinear Relationships Between Comparison Extremity and Social Emotions, and Their Motivational Functioning. / Diel, Kathi; Boecker, Lea; Lange, Jens et al.
in: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2025.

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

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@article{35067793350f44959b455912be085533,
title = "Emotional Dynamics of Social Comparisons: Nonlinear Relationships Between Comparison Extremity and Social Emotions, and Their Motivational Functioning",
abstract = "In an experience-sampling study, we examined how emotions stemming from social comparisons influence daily motivation. Analyzing 2,976 daily real-world social comparisons, we examined the interplay of comparison direction (upward vs. downward) and extremity (from moderate to extreme), two pleasant emotions (schadenfreude and happy-for-ness), two unpleasant emotions (benign envy, malicious envy), three motivational tendencies (pushing, coasting, and disengagement), and effort intentions. The relationships between comparison extremity and emotions were characterized by nonlinearity: Benign envy and happy-for-ness peaked with moderate upward comparisons, whereas malicious envy and schadenfreude increased especially with extreme upward and downward comparisons. Concerning motivational functioning, results suggest that benign envy and happy-for-ness promote motivation (i.e., associated with pushing and effort), whereas malicious envy and schadenfreude do not (i.e., linked to disengagement and coasting), with effects contingent on comparison extremity. This work emphasizes how distinct social emotions emerge as a function of social comparison extremity and their dynamic role in everyday motivation.",
keywords = "benign envy, malicious envy, motivation, schadenfreude, social comparison, social emotions, Psychology",
author = "Kathi Diel and Lea Boecker and Jens Lange and Wilhelm Hofmann and Jan Crusius",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.",
year = "2025",
doi = "10.1177/01461672251333249",
language = "English",
journal = "Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin",
issn = "0146-1672",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Emotional Dynamics of Social Comparisons

T2 - Nonlinear Relationships Between Comparison Extremity and Social Emotions, and Their Motivational Functioning

AU - Diel, Kathi

AU - Boecker, Lea

AU - Lange, Jens

AU - Hofmann, Wilhelm

AU - Crusius, Jan

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - In an experience-sampling study, we examined how emotions stemming from social comparisons influence daily motivation. Analyzing 2,976 daily real-world social comparisons, we examined the interplay of comparison direction (upward vs. downward) and extremity (from moderate to extreme), two pleasant emotions (schadenfreude and happy-for-ness), two unpleasant emotions (benign envy, malicious envy), three motivational tendencies (pushing, coasting, and disengagement), and effort intentions. The relationships between comparison extremity and emotions were characterized by nonlinearity: Benign envy and happy-for-ness peaked with moderate upward comparisons, whereas malicious envy and schadenfreude increased especially with extreme upward and downward comparisons. Concerning motivational functioning, results suggest that benign envy and happy-for-ness promote motivation (i.e., associated with pushing and effort), whereas malicious envy and schadenfreude do not (i.e., linked to disengagement and coasting), with effects contingent on comparison extremity. This work emphasizes how distinct social emotions emerge as a function of social comparison extremity and their dynamic role in everyday motivation.

AB - In an experience-sampling study, we examined how emotions stemming from social comparisons influence daily motivation. Analyzing 2,976 daily real-world social comparisons, we examined the interplay of comparison direction (upward vs. downward) and extremity (from moderate to extreme), two pleasant emotions (schadenfreude and happy-for-ness), two unpleasant emotions (benign envy, malicious envy), three motivational tendencies (pushing, coasting, and disengagement), and effort intentions. The relationships between comparison extremity and emotions were characterized by nonlinearity: Benign envy and happy-for-ness peaked with moderate upward comparisons, whereas malicious envy and schadenfreude increased especially with extreme upward and downward comparisons. Concerning motivational functioning, results suggest that benign envy and happy-for-ness promote motivation (i.e., associated with pushing and effort), whereas malicious envy and schadenfreude do not (i.e., linked to disengagement and coasting), with effects contingent on comparison extremity. This work emphasizes how distinct social emotions emerge as a function of social comparison extremity and their dynamic role in everyday motivation.

KW - benign envy

KW - malicious envy

KW - motivation

KW - schadenfreude

KW - social comparison

KW - social emotions

KW - Psychology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105004577999&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/01461672251333249

DO - 10.1177/01461672251333249

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 40296641

AN - SCOPUS:105004577999

JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

SN - 0146-1672

ER -

DOI