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 -