performing better or those performing worse . The direction of the comparison is particularly important for attitudinal outcomes . “ Downward ” comparisons involve comparing self to someone who is worse off in a certain respect ( in the case of body image , believed to be less attractive or more overweight ), which may increase well-being ( Holmstrom , 2004 ). “ Upward ” comparisons involve comparing self to someone who is believed to be better off in some aspect ( in the case of body image , believed to be more attractive or thinner ) which may damage well-being ( Morrison et al ., 2004 ). In many cases , individuals perform these comparisons without being conscious of it .
Research has tested social comparison theory with adolescent females by using an extensive list of questions related to upward comparison of self to media images , and questions related to body satisfaction , disordered eating habits , and approval of the thin ideal . It was shown that media variables accounted for 15 % of the variance in drive for thinness , 17 % in body dissatisfaction , 16 % in bulimic behaviors , and 33 % in the thin ideal endorsement ( Botta , 1999 ). Results indicated that making comparisons with media image predicted body image disturbance ( Botta , 1999 ). A study on male and female adolescents found that comparison to targets predicted appearance self-esteem , number of diets to gain weight , use of pathogenic weight
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