Effects of social comparison direction, comparison distance, and message framing on health behavioral intention in online support groups

This study advances prior research on social comparison by testing the effects of social comparison direction, comparison distance, as well as message framing on perceived similarity, self-esteem, and health behavioral intention in the context of an online support group (OSG) for diet and weight loss. A 2 (comparison direction: up vs. down) by 2 (comparison distance: high vs. low) by 2 (framing: gain vs. loss) factorial experiment involving 275 adult participants was conducted online in the United States. Findings showed that participants perceived themselves to be more similar to the comparison target who was doing better than themselves than the target who was doing worse. The difference of perceived similarity between comparison directions was greater when comparison distance was low than high. However, upward comparison decreased self-esteem whereas downward comparison enhanced self-esteem. Perceived similarity and self-esteem both contributed to health efficacy, which led to health behavioral intention. Message framing did not show a significant impact on perceived similarity or self-esteem. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.