I, we, and the effects of others on me: How self-construal level moderatessocial comparison effects

In 5 studies, the authors investigate the impact of self-activation on the occurrence and direction of social comparison effects. They show that self- evaluative comparison effects are more likely to occur when self-related co gnitions are made cognitively accessible. Contrast occurs when personal sel f-construals ("I") are accessible, whereas assimilation occurs when social self-construals ("we") are activated, These effects of self-construal activ ation are similar to the impact of self-unrelated information processing st yles that are often associated with personal and social self-accessibility (i.e., differentiation and integration mind-sets). However, whereas self-co nstrual activation elicits self-serving social comparisons, activation of s elf-unrelated processing styles results in non-self-serving social comparis on effects. Implications of these results for understanding the cognitive p rocesses underlying social comparison effects are discussed.