This can be compared to social comparison, which is believed to be central to achievement motivation, feelings of injustice, depression, jealousy, and people's willingness to remain in relationships or jobs.
This bias revolves mostly around wealth and social status; it is unconscious and people who make these are largely unaware of them.
What the researchers used to measure the depression in their participants was a self-esteem test called the Self Attributes Questionnaire created by Pelham and Swann in 1989.
[6] One major symptom that can occur with social comparison bias is the mental disorder of depression.
Depression is typically diagnosed during a clinical encounter using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders volume IV (DSM-IV) criteria.
Major depressive disorder is a common mental illness associated with social comparison bias.
Specifically, as it pertains to anxiety and body image, you can be triggered easily when on social media.
Social media is a place where people tend to tailor their image of themselves to only present positive things.
When other people present their stories or images of success, achievement, beauty, love or happiness it can trigger feelings of inferiority.
[14] With media being such an important part of modern Western culture, having low self-esteem and a negative self-image of oneself affects society with tragic incidents including suicide and self-harm.
Social comparison to others can cause people to lose confidence in themselves and stress over trying to be perfect and be what society expects them to be.
[14] Media is one of the leading causes of negative body image among youth and adults because of social comparison.
Social networks such as Facebook makes viewing someone's daily life as simple as sending a request.
In recent studies, researchers have been linking Facebook with depression in this generation of social media.
[13] Social comparisons are important and valid predictors of students' self-evaluations and achievement behavior.
With this importance, it will lead to social comparison bias and cause negative effects on a person's life.
Based on the research found, the hypothesis was proven correct stating that depression does have a relationship with the social comparison that people in society participate in.