Downward comparisons in daily life with chronic pain: Dynamic relations with pain intensity and mood

We used a daily process methodology and a sample of 89 women with chronic f ibromyalgia pain to study the dynamic relations between pain, mood, and rem inding oneself of downward social and temporal comparisons. Three times a d ay for 30 days, participants answered palm-top computer "electronic intervi ews" about their pain intensity, pleasant mood, and unpleasant mood. Each n ight, they reported the extent of that day's tendency to remind themselves that their current pain was not as severe as it is for others (i.e., a down ward social comparison), and that their current pain was not as severe as i t had been at an earlier time (i.e., a downward temporal comparison). Rando m effects within-person regression analyses revealed that (a) downward comp arison reminding was more prominent on days that began with less pain and h appier mood and that (b) improvements in pleasant mood across the day were more likely when downward comparison reminding was more prominent. These fi ndings complicate the conceptual status of downward comparison. Downward co mparison reminding, especially in the temporal domain, may at times capture a process of savoring positive circumstances, such as relative pain relief . Alternative interpretations of the findings are also offered.