Despite abundant warnings that we shouldn’t measure ourselves against others, most of us still do. We’re not only meaning-seeking creatures but social ① ones as well, constantly making interpersonal comparisons to evaluate ourselves, improve our standing, and enhance our self-esteem. But the problem with social comparison is that it often backfires. When comparing ourselves to someone who’s doing better than we are, we often feel ② inadequate for not doing as well. This sometimes leads to what psychologists call malignant envy, the desire for someone ③ to meet with misfortune (“I wish she didn’t have what she has”). Also, comparing ourselves with someone who’s doing worse than we are ④ risk scorn, the feeling that others are something undeserving of our beneficence (“She’s beneath my notice”). Then again, comparing ourselves to others can also lead to benign envy, the longing to reproduce someone else’s accomplishments without wishing them ill (“I wish I had what she has”), ⑤ which has been shown in some circumstances to inspire and motivate us to increase our efforts in spite of a recent failure.
* backfire: 역효과를 내다
** scorn: 경멸