All Of The Following Are Examples Of Social Comparison Except? | Spot The Odd One Out

A behavior that does not involve judging yourself against others is not an example of social comparison.

Multiple choice questions that ask which item is not social comparison can feel tricky at first glance. Every option might seem related to people watching, self-reflection, or thinking about others. The skill you need is the ability to see where comparison with another person is present and where it is missing.

This guide walks through what social comparison means, what real examples look like, and how to spot non-examples with confidence. By the end, you will be able to sort each option in a question like “All of the following are examples of social comparison except” into a clear yes or no.

What Social Comparison Means In Simple Terms

Social comparison is the mental process of judging yourself by setting your abilities, traits, or opinions side by side with other people. Leon Festinger first described this idea in the 1950s, and it still anchors a large body of social science research today. When you check a classmate’s grade, a colleague’s salary, or a friend’s holiday photos and then rate your own life against that image, you are in social comparison mode.

The APA dictionary entry on social comparison theory notes that people lean on others as a reference point when clear, objective measures are missing. You may also compare yourself even when numbers are available, simply because it feels natural to check where you stand. These mental scorecards can shape mood, effort, and choices across school, work, relationships, and online life.

Researchers often describe three main directions for comparison. Upward comparison happens when you compare yourself with someone who seems ahead of you, such as a top student or a star athlete. Downward comparison happens when you compare yourself with someone who seems behind you, such as a coworker who missed a promotion. Horizontal comparison happens when you compare yourself with someone who feels similar to you, such as a teammate with similar skills.

Examples Of Social Comparison In Daily Life

To answer a question that asks which option is not social comparison, it helps to have a mental library of clear examples. Once you know what comparison looks like in ordinary moments, the outlier in a test question stands out.

Here are some classic situations that count as social comparison:

• A student checks her exam score, then checks the class average and decides whether she feels proud or disappointed.
• A runner times his lap, then glances at another runner’s time on the display and decides he is slow or fast.
• A person scrolling through a social media feed compares their body, house, or job title with the people they see on screen.
• An employee hears about a coworker’s raise and uses that news to judge whether their own pay feels fair.
• A musician listens to another band’s performance and judges their own talent against that sound.

The Noba social comparison module describes how these everyday ratings influence how people feel about success, failure, and personal traits. A guide from Verywell Mind on social comparison adds that people tend to compare themselves when they lack clear standards or when they feel unsure about where they stand.

Notice that in every example, two ingredients show up: awareness of someone else and a judgment about yourself that comes from the contrast. Questions that ask “All of the following are examples of social comparison except” usually include options that share one ingredient but not the other, which is where students often trip up.

Situation	Social Comparison?	Reason
Checking how many steps you walked and how many your friend logged today	Yes	You rate your activity by setting it beside your friend’s score.
Reading your exam score without seeing anyone else’s marks	No	You see a number but do not connect it to another person.
Thinking, “My presentation was better than his” after two talks in class	Yes	You judge your performance by ranking it against another presenter.
Practising piano alone with a metronome	No	You work with an objective standard, not another person’s skill.
Feeling proud because you finished a race faster than last year’s winner	Yes	You compare your time with a known benchmark set by someone else.
Watching a movie and thinking about the plot without linking it to yourself	No	You observe events but do not rate yourself against anyone.
Reading classmates’ answers in an online forum to judge whether your view is mainstream	Yes	You check how your opinion lines up with the group.

All Of The Following Are Examples Of Social Comparison Except Style Questions Explained

Many textbooks and exams use a standard set of options when they present this style of question. Some options show clear comparison, some blur the line, and one option usually shows thinking that does not rely on another person at all. Your task is to track where comparison enters the picture.

When you face a question that exactly asks, “All Of The Following Are Examples Of Social Comparison Except?”, start by underlining the part of each option that names another person or group. Then look for a phrase that shows a judgment about the self. Only when both pieces appear together do you have genuine social comparison in the sense described by Festinger and by modern researchers.

The review of social comparisons in daily life shows that these judgments appear across settings, from health behavior to study habits. Researchers pay attention to them because they do more than just pass through your mind; they can push mood and action in subtle ways.

Common Patterns In Test Options

Writers often repeat the same patterns when they build multiple choice items around social comparison. Once you know those patterns, you can scan a question quickly and spot the one option that fails the comparison test.

• Clear comparison: The item mentions another person and a direct judgment such as “better than,” “worse than,” or “about the same as.”
• Hidden comparison: The item describes effort or emotion that only makes sense by reference to others, such as “feeling behind classmates” or “trying to catch up with a teammate.”
• Non-comparison: The item shows self-reflection, practice, or observation without any link to another person.

Only the third pattern matches the “except” answer. Even if an option mentions friends, classmates, or followers, it does not count as social comparison unless the person in the scenario uses those others as a standard for judging the self.

Behaviours That Do Not Count As Social Comparison

To master questions that ask which option is not social comparison, it helps to have a clear picture of the non-examples. These situations involve thinking, feeling, or acting in the presence of others without rating yourself against them.

Self-Reflection Without A Reference Person

Some items describe someone thinking about their own values, goals, or choices in a private way. They might write in a journal, meditate, or set personal targets without looking sideways at peers. Even though the person is thinking about themselves, they are not running a mental comparison between their traits and someone else’s traits.

Objective Measurement Without Other People

Other items show someone working with a fixed standard that does not depend on another person. A runner who times a sprint with a stopwatch, a student who checks a pass mark printed on the front page of the exam, or a gamer who tries to beat a record set by the system instead of another player all work with one clear rule or score. The standard might still be demanding, but it is not tied to another individual.

Observation That Stays External

Another group of non-examples involves watching other people without bringing the self into the picture. Someone might enjoy a talent show, read a biography, or follow a celebrity news story without thinking, “How do I measure up to this person?” The moment the thought turns inward and takes the form of a rating, social comparison begins. Before that point, it is simple observation.

Scenario	Comparison Present?	How To Classify It
Writing personal goals in a diary	No	Self-reflection without any mention of another person.
Watching classmates present and judging which talk you liked most	Yes	You rank others, which often leads to a quiet ranking of yourself too.
Checking a blood pressure reading against a table in a clinic brochure	No	Match is to medical guidelines, not to another patient.
Looking at a friend’s fitness tracker results and feeling out of shape	Yes	You weigh your own health against a friend’s numbers.
Reading an inspirational quote and feeling calm	No	Emotional shift occurs without self-rating against another person.

How To Handle Social Comparison In Everyday Life

Learning to answer “All Of The Following Are Examples Of Social Comparison Except?” also opens a chance to adjust how you deal with comparison outside the classroom. Once you can see the mental steps clearly, you can decide which ones serve you and which ones drain energy.

Notice Your Triggers

Start by spotting the places where comparison shows up most often for you. Many people notice it around grades, income, appearance, or follower counts on social media. When you catch your mind moving from a neutral observation to a self-rating, pause and label the process: “I am comparing myself right now.” That small moment of awareness gives you space to choose your response.

Limit Unhelpful Comparison Zones

Social media feeds, ranking boards, and gossip about pay or grades can act like fuel for constant comparison. You do not have to avoid these spaces completely, but you can set boundaries. That might mean unfollowing certain accounts, turning off rankings in a game, or choosing times of day when you stay away from scorekeeping apps.

With these tools, questions framed as “All of the following are examples of social comparison except” turn from traps into straightforward exercises. More importantly, you develop a clear eye for when comparison helps you grow and when it simply adds extra pressure.