Abstract Social comparison processes exert a ubiquitous influence on people’s thoughts, decisions, and behaviors related to their health. Moreover, many comparative perceptions (e.g., perceived personal risk, estimation of social norms) are miscalibrated with reality. The way in which people compare themselves with others on a wide variety of dimensions can have important implications for their long-term health, and health communications may be more influential to the extent that they heed people’s interest in social comparisons and acknowledge the role of biases in these comparisons. This chapter reviews the various influences that social comparisons can have on health outcomes, with a particular focus on health cognitions, decision-making, and behavior.
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