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Xu Y, Huang GH, Xiao Y, Li S, Wang W, Liang ZY. A Double-Edged-Sword Effect of Overplacement: Social Comparison Bias Predicts Gambling Motivations and Behaviors in Chinese Casino Gamblers. J Gambl Stud 2024:10.1007/s10899-024-10293-8. [PMID: 38592612 DOI: 10.1007/s10899-024-10293-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Overconfidence, a widely observed cognitive bias, has been linked to increased gambling motivations and behaviors. However, previous studies have largely overlooked overconfidence under a social comparison context, known as overplacement, i.e., the tendency of individuals to believe that they are better than their similar peers. In the present study, we tested the effect of overplacement on gambling motivations and behaviors though a Pilot Survey of Chinese college students (N = 129) and a Field Survey of Chinese Macao casino gamblers (N = 733). Our results revealed a double-edged sword effect of overplacement: Serving as a risk factor, evaluating one self's earning ability as higher than others was linked to more gambling motivations (β = 0.18, p = .005) and frequency (β = 0.18, p = .004); Serving as a protective factor, evaluating oneself as happier than others was linked to less gambling motivations (β = - 0.32, p < .001) and problem behaviors (β = - 0.26, p < .001). These findings expand the relationship between overconfidence and gambling from a cognitive bias perspective to a social comparison perspective. Our study not only revealed a typical profile of gambling motivations and behaviors among different demographic groups in Chinese casino gamblers, but also highlighted the importance of considering social factors in the study of the psychological mechanisms of gambling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuepei Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gui-Hai Huang
- Faculty of Business, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, SAR, China
| | - Yi Xiao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shu Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhu-Yuan Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Okano H, Nomura M. Examining social anxiety and dual aspects of social comparison orientation: the moderating role of self-evaluation of social skills. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1270143. [PMID: 38144985 PMCID: PMC10748495 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1270143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Social comparison orientation comprises ability comparison, which entails superior and inferior ratings; and opinion comparison, which does not include such ratings. Previous research on negative emotions and the social rank theory of social anxiety indicates that social anxiety is positively associated with ability comparison. This is particularly true of individuals with a stronger sense of inferiority (e.g., lower self-evaluation of their social skills). Nevertheless, the relationship between the two aspects of social comparison orientation and social anxiety remains unclear. Methods Two hundred thirty-eight individuals (Mage = 40.53 ± 9.78 years, 50.4% men) participated in an online cross-sectional survey questionnaire. Results Social anxiety was positively correlated with ability comparison but not opinion comparison. The relationship between social anxiety in situations observed by others and ability comparison was stronger for individuals with lower (vs. higher) self-rated social skills. Discussion This study showed that the two types of social comparison are differentially related to social anxiety. The findings support the social rank theory of social anxiety, which states that social comparisons involving superior and inferior ratings lead to social anxiety owing to the perception of one's inferiority. Making such social comparisons can result in heightened social anxiety, particularly for individuals with low self-evaluations of social skills. The results indicate the importance of these social comparisons in the emergence and persistence of social anxiety. Furthermore, the potential of interventions based on mindfulness, compassion, social media, and video feedback in mitigating the negative effects of such social comparisons is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michio Nomura
- Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Japan
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Tor A, Garcia SM. The neuroscience of social comparison and competition. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023:10.3758/s13415-023-01107-2. [PMID: 37286762 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01107-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The study of competition from a social comparison perspective offers valuable insights into the neuroscience of social judgment and decision making under uncertainty. When engaging in social comparison, individuals seek and assess information about similarities or differences between others and themselves, in large part to improve their self-evaluation. By providing information about one's relative position, abilities, outcomes, and more, social comparisons can inform competitive judgments and decisions. People reasonably turn to social comparisons to reduce uncertainty before, during, and after competition. However, the extent to which they do so and the behavioral consequences of social comparisons often fail to match the potential benefits of improved self-evaluation. An examination of the developing neuroscience of social comparison and competition in light of the behavioral evidence reveals numerous questions that merit further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avishalom Tor
- Notre Dame Law School, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Stephen M Garcia
- Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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Xie S, Meng X, Li C, Liu D. Can trait competitiveness foster positive outcomes? The role of perceived insider status and leader competitiveness. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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A psychological model of competitive behavior: social comparison as a mediator of the critical thinking, self-efficacy, and adaptation ability prediction among college students. Heliyon 2022; 8:e12205. [PMID: 36578380 PMCID: PMC9791351 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
This study is aimed to test a theoretical model of the critical thinking, self-efficacy, and adaptation ability prediction towards competitive behavior, with social comparison as a mediator. Participants comprised 334 active university students in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. This study applied a predictive-correlational design, with data obtained using questionnaires and analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling. The analysis indicated that the theoretical model corresponds to empirical data (RMSEA = 0.00, NNFI = 1.00) showing that sample data is an accurate representation of the data that would be present in the population (RMSEA < 0.05, NNFI > 0.90). However, critical thinking ability can not predict competitive behavior as mediated by social comparison. This present study provides a deeper understanding that competition is a complex behavior that involves the dimensions of a person's cognitive, self, and adaptive qualities, that cannot be separated from the social context.
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Stability and change in dispositional envy: Longitudinal evidence on envy as a stable trait. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/08902070221128137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Dispositional envy has been conceptualized as an emotional trait that varies across comparison domains (e.g., attraction, competence, wealth). Despite its prevalence and potentially detrimental effects, little is known about stability and change in dispositional envy across time due to a lack of longitudinal data. The goal of the present research was to close this gap by investigating stability and developmental change in dispositional envy over time. In a preregistered longitudinal study across 6 years, we analyzed data from N = 1229 German participants ( n = 510–634 per wave) with a mean age of 47.0 years at intake ( SD = 12.4, range 18–88). Results from latent factor models revealed that both global and domain-specific dispositional envy were stable across 6 years in terms of their rank order and mean levels, with stability coefficients similar to those of other trait measures reported in literature. Moreover, a substantial amount of variance in global and domain-specific dispositional envy was accounted for by a stable trait factor. Results thus provide evidence for a stable disposition toward the experience of envy both at the global level and within specific envy domains. The present findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the stability and development of dispositional envy in adulthood and advance the understanding of emotional traits in general.
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Reese ZA, Garcia SM, Edelstein RS. More than a game: Trait competitiveness predicts motivation in minimally competitive contexts. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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