Awkward Encounters

Studies have shown that individuals exaggerate their expected effects of events. A great deal of how these exaggerated expectations affect us has to do with our individual personalities and the comparisons we make. When an individual measures himself against another, he can do so in two ways, upward and downward social comparisons. Upward social comparisons involve matching up one’s achievements to another in higher position of authority and success. Students exhibit this behavior, because there is always another student with higher grades, or attending a more prestigious university. Downward social comparisons involve the exact opposite, comparing one’s achievements to someone who is not achieving as much. Again, this can be seen in college students where comparisons between one’s grades to those receiving lower grades or attending a less reputable institution. Bauer, Wrosch, and Jobin (2008) concluded that upward social comparisons can lead to more negative states of mind, where as downward social comparisons can increase happiness levels and create a more positive outlook.

This matter is still under debate however as Teigen (2008) believes the matter is more complicated. I believe that a great deal of why we exaggerate expected effects has to do with our social comparisons. I am not entirely sure yet if I will be able to incorporate social comparisons into my study at this time. Currently, my study is focused around intended majors and careers paths of underclassman here at Allegheny. I plan to conduct a pretest/post-test experiment monitoring happiness levels before and after a manipulation of intended majors. If i were able to incorporate the research regarding exaggerated expectations, I may be able to account for why participants believe life will be so easy or so difficult regarding a particular field. At this point, expectations have not really been incorporated into my study, but it is a potential factor I may wish to include.