Overthinking About Social Media Comparison

Magical Overthinkers

You log onto Instagram and within five seconds of scrolling, your algorithm has your self-esteem in a death grip. It serves you: 1) an old classmate's engagement announcement, 2) another carousel of glamorous vacation pics, 3) a random influencer looking flawless on a rooftop... and now, you feel like garbage. These people have NOTHING to do with your life, and yet social media has forced them into your brain space. What's worse? Their beauty, wealth, and success seem to be directly depleting yours. What causes us to irrationally compare-despair on platforms like Instagram and TikTok? Is there an evolutionary explanation? And how can we feel better? Joining host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) are two special guests, here to help soothe our thought spirals surrounding social media comparison: Jemma Sbeg (@jemmasbeg), host of The Psychology of Your 20s podcast, and Britt Frank (@britt_frank), neuropsychotherapist and author of The Science of Stuck.

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- Sources:

Zero-Sum Bias: Perceived Competition Despite Unlimited Resources - bit.ly/4drkHhQ

Gendered Influence of Downward Social Comparisons on Current and Possible Selves - bit.ly/3XavUh9

Shine Theory: Why Powerful Women Make the Greatest Friends - bit.ly/3Xak9XU

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