Relationship social comparisons: Your facebook page affects my relationship and personal well-being

People frequently share information about their intimate relationships on Facebook and this information can be used by other users as material for romantic social comparisons. In a pilot study, participants indicated that photos, communication between the individuals in the couple, and indications of support were important for relationship comparisons. How individuals interpret relationship comparisons when exposed to a friend's or acquaintance's Facebook profile can impact the self and one's relationship. Two experiments manipulated upward and downward relationship comparisons using mocked-up Facebook profiles of a young, attractive, heterosexual couple. That is, participants were exposed to the equivalent of an acquaintance's Facebook profile. Manipulated comparison direction predicted individual's relationship social comparison interpretations (RSCI). Direct effects of the RSCI and indirect effects of the manipulated comparison direction through RSCI on relationship quality, attention to alternatives, and personal well-being were found indicating that how individuals interpreted the relationship comparison was important. Individuals may react more strongly to comparisons with close others as opposed to distant others (Tesser, 1988), suggesting that comparisons with actual friends on Facebook could have a larger impact. Future research will continue to examine how online relationship comparisons to friends may influence long-term consequences of these interpretations (e.g., stay/leave decisions).