Investigating the neural bases of social comparison in aging

Because mental health issues are a significant public health concern (Delpino et al., 2022; Goodwin et al., 2022) it is critical to understand the key social and emotional mechanisms supporting mental well-being. For instance, we have a tendency to compare ourselves to others (i.e., social comparison; Festinger, 1954) and this serves an important role in social judgment (Mussweiler, 2003). However, this tendency may be amplified to unhealthy levels due to social media and could put individuals at risk for mental health issues (Primack et al., 2021). Although research on the brain and psychological bases of social comparison has primarily focused on adolescents and young adults, there is a gap in our understanding in older adulthood. Research on younger adults points to a network of brain regions associated with social comparison orientation, including regions typically involved in processing rewards and making comparisons including the ventral striatum, medial orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and intraparietal sulcus (Kedia et al., 2014). Older adults may engage in social comparison because it reduces the cognitive resources needed to solve a problem (Mussweiler & Epstude, 2009). By seeking others’ opinions, choices are winnowed to only a few options to facilitate more rapid decision making. There may also be pressure to achieve optimal aging due to the numerous scientific advances that may make an extended healthspan possible. However, similar to younger adults, for many older adults, unrealistic social comparisons could exacerbate mental health issues. The present research article by Sugimoto et al. (2023) investigates the psychological and brain bases of social comparison in 90 community-dwelling older adults 65 years and older from Japan (Sugimoto et al., 2023). Specifically, social comparison was measured using the Japanese version of the Social Comparison Orientation Scale, an 11-item self-report questionnaire (Toyama, 2002). This questionnaire includes an opinion subscale (example item: “I often like to talk with others about mutual opinions and experiences”), and an ability subscale (example item: “I often compare myself with others with respect to what I have accomplished in life”). Cognition was assessed using standard screening tools for cognitive orientation, which included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA; Nasreddine et al., 2005) and the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE; Folstein, et al., 1975). Participants underwent structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess relationships between social comparison orientation and brain volume, white matter integrity, and resting state functional connectivity. The present study advances the literature by examining social comparison orientation in older adults using multiple neuroimaging modalities. The authors found that older adults who are more likely to talk with others about similar opinions (i.e., the opinion subscale) had higher scores on global cognition, larger left hippocampus volume, and greater resting state functional connectivity between the left hippocampus and regions typically associated with social cognition (e.g., left temporoparietal regions, right medial prefrontal cortex, left mid-temporal regions). However, when using more stringent corrections for multiple comparisons and relevant covariates, only the resting state functional connectivity finding remained statistically significant. Of note, the ability subscale, which measures a tendency to compare one’s accomplishments with others was not significantly associated with cognitive or brain imaging measures. Typically, seeking others’ opinions helps to reduce cognitive resources when making a decision by narrowing down options. One could speculate that some older adults may seek out others’ opinions to save cognitive resources for more demanding tasks. A key limitation of the present study was that conclusions cannot be made about the specificity of the findings to older adults because there was no younger adult comparison group. Furthermore, the findings may be limited in generalizability because the sample only included