--- title: "Comparison with Others – What Happens in the Brain | Brain Model" description: "The neuroanatomy of social comparison – why the brain constantly measures itself against others. Striatum, TPJ and amygdala in concert." canonical: https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/comparison-with-others/ parent: https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/ author: Johannes Faupel site: brainmodel.digital — Anatomically interactive. Scientifically precise. No therapeutic school. license: Citation welcome with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. type: educational — healthy-brain function, not diagnosis or therapy --- > **Canonical page (cite this):** [Map 18 – Comparison with Others](https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/comparison-with-others/) # Map 18 – Comparison with Others Why the brain constantly measures itself against others – and what happens in the reward system and amygdala in the process ## Anatomically and biochemically Social comparison is an automatic process. The brain continuously calculates how one's own position compares to others – in resources, recognition, success. The **ventral striatum** (part of the mesolimbic reward system) maintains an implicit comparison calculation: what do I have relative to comparable others? When the other person has more, the striatum registers a relative deficit – dopamine drops. The phenomenon of feeling worse when others have more, even though one's own situation has not changed, is neurobiologically precise. The **temporoparietal junction (TPJ; also: other-model area, Theory-of-Mind region)** models the other person: what do they have, what can they do, where do they stand? The **medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)** relates the result to the self-image. The **anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)** registers the discrepancy. The **amygdala** rates perceived social inferiority as a threat – evolutionarily a reliable signal: falling behind in the group carried real risk in ancestral environments. Why does upward social comparison make people unhappy even when their absolute situation is good? Because the striatum calculates relative outcomes, not absolute ones. A brain that knows others are better off registers this as a resource deficit – regardless of one's own absolute well-being. Why are social media so comparison-stimulating? Because they provide a high-density supply of social comparison stimuli: every piece of information about others activates TPJ and striatum. The brain compares automatically, even when one would rather not. What interrupts comparison mode? Not stopping the comparison, but shifting the reference frame through the **vmPFC**: which criterion actually matters for my life? ## Examples from everyday life - **Social media:** Every image of others' success activates striatum and TPJ. The dopamine gradient arises automatically – before any conscious comparison has taken place. - **A colleague gets a promotion:** The striatum registers a relative deficit. The amygdala marks the situation as a social threat. One's own objective status has not changed. - **A class reunion:** Intense comparison stimulus: many reference points from one's own past, many TPJ calculations in a short time. The system runs at full speed. - **Upward comparison and motivation:** Sometimes an upward comparison activates the dlPFC constructively: if that person achieved it, I can learn how. This requires the amygdala not to rate the comparison as a threat. - **Downward comparison:** Comparisons downward briefly lift mood – the striatum registers a relative advantage. Long-term, this mode is ethically and socially costly. ## What this card does not say This card describes a normal mechanism in the healthy human brain. Social comparison is deeply evolutionarily anchored. This card is not a diagnostic tool and not a treatment guide. ## You now understand what happens in the brain during comparison with others. Three ways to go further: **① Deepen now – Mind Rooms** The complete e-book on the spatial method for mental clarity. $9.70 [View e-book](https://www.mindrooms.net/e-book/) Or order via email: buch@exponere.de $9.70 via PayPal, the e-book will be sent to your PayPal email **② Community – skool.com/supervision** Daily answers from Johannes Faupel to community questions and discussion of the maps. $37 / month [Join skool.com/supervision](https://www.skool.com/supervision) **③ Personal contact – Phone** Questions about publications or booking options for Johannes Faupel? +49 69 68 60 12 99 Please note that no questions on psychological or related topics can be answered. ## Scientific sources for this map: 1. Fliessbach, K., Weber, B., Trautner, P., Sunde, U., Elger, C., & Falk, A. (2007). Social comparison affects reward-related brain activity in the human ventral striatum. *Science, 318*, 1305–1308. [doi.org/10.1126/science.1145876](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1145876) 2. Luo, Y., Eickhoff, S., Hétu, S., & Feng, C. (2018). Social comparison in the brain: A coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional brain imaging studies on downward and upward comparisons. *Human Brain Mapping, 39*. [doi.org/10.1002/hbm.23854](https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.23854) 3. Takahashi, H., Kato, M., Matsuura, M., Mobbs, D., Suhara, T., & Okubo, Y. (2009). When your gain is my pain and your pain is my gain: Neural correlates of envy and schadenfreude. *Science, 323*, 937–939. [doi.org/10.1126/science.1165604](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1165604) --- *These visualisations are scientific educational representations of normal brain functions in the healthy human brain. They are not diagnostic tools, not therapy, and not a substitute for medical or psychotherapeutic treatment. If you suspect a mental health condition, please consult a licensed professional.* --- *Source page: https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/comparison-with-others/ · Author: Johannes Faupel · educational — healthy-brain function, not diagnosis or therapy.*