It Matters to Whom You Compare Yourself: The Case of Unrealistic Optimism and Gender-Specific Comparisons
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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in: American Journal of Men's Health, Jahrgang 17, Nr. 1, 02.2023.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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TY - JOUR
T1 - It Matters to Whom You Compare Yourself
T2 - The Case of Unrealistic Optimism and Gender-Specific Comparisons
AU - Kulesza, Wojciech
AU - Dolinski, Dariusz
AU - Suitner, Caterina
AU - Genschow, Oliver
AU - Muniak, Paweł
AU - Izydorczak, Kamil
AU - Salvador Casara, Bruno Gabriel
N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) within the Urgency Grants granted to Wojciech Kulesza (number: PPN/GIN/2020/1/00063/U/00001). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - Unrealistic Optimism (UO) appears when comparing participants’ risk estimates for themselves with an average peer, which typically results in lower risk estimates for the self. This article reports nuanced effects when comparison varies in terms of the gender of the peer. In three studies (total N = 2,468, representative sample), we assessed people’s risk estimates for COVID-19 infections for peers with the same or other gender. If a peer’s gender is not taken into account, previous studies were replicated: Compared with others, participants perceived themselves as less likely to get infected with COVID-19. Interestingly, this effect was qualified by gender: Respondents perceived women as less threatened than men because women are perceived as more cautious and compliant with medical guidelines.
AB - Unrealistic Optimism (UO) appears when comparing participants’ risk estimates for themselves with an average peer, which typically results in lower risk estimates for the self. This article reports nuanced effects when comparison varies in terms of the gender of the peer. In three studies (total N = 2,468, representative sample), we assessed people’s risk estimates for COVID-19 infections for peers with the same or other gender. If a peer’s gender is not taken into account, previous studies were replicated: Compared with others, participants perceived themselves as less likely to get infected with COVID-19. Interestingly, this effect was qualified by gender: Respondents perceived women as less threatened than men because women are perceived as more cautious and compliant with medical guidelines.
KW - gender
KW - social comparisons
KW - Unrealistic Optimism bias
KW - Psychology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147186453&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/15579883231152154
DO - 10.1177/15579883231152154
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 36721355
AN - SCOPUS:85147186453
VL - 17
JO - American Journal of Men's Health
JF - American Journal of Men's Health
SN - 1557-9883
IS - 1
ER -