Relationship social comparisons: Comparison interpretations and attributions as predictors of relationship quality

How individuals interpret a relationship social comparison is important to their relationship quality. We asked whether relationship social comparison interpretations (RSCIs) differ from relationship attributions. Individuals were randomly assigned to compare their dating relationship to a friend’s relationship that was doing better (upward comparison) or worse (downward comparison) than their own. Individuals then completed measures for the RSCI and attributions for their own relationship success/failure (Study 1) and attributions for their friend’s relationship success/failure (Study 2). Correlations indicated that the RSCI and attributions were not isomorphic. Simultaneous regressions indicated that the RSCI was a more consistent predictor of relationship quality than were attributions. How individuals interpret social comparisons not just the comparison direction should be studied