ABSTRACT

Two studies examined which theoretical approach–social comparison and emotional contagion–is more appropriate to explain the mechanism underlying the association between Instagram browsing and subjective well-being. We assessed both between-person and within-person associations using a quasi-experiment (Study 1) and a 7-day diary study (Study 2). Results suggest that the mechanisms behind affect and life satisfaction differ. In terms of affect, the emotional contagion perspective was supported. Participants tended to report more positive affect and less negative affect when browsing more positive posts, irrespective of social comparison directionality. By contrast, life satisfaction was associated with both mechanisms. This study indicates that the emotional contagion and social comparison mechanisms may cancel out each other’s effect on how people evaluate their own lives. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.

摘要

两项研究检验了哪种理论方法——社会比较和情绪传染——更适合解释 Instagram 浏览与主观幸福感之间关联的潜在机制。我们使用准实验（研究 1）和为期 7 天的日记研究（研究 2）评估了人与人之间的关联。结果表明，情感和生活满意度背后的机制不同。在情感方面，支持情绪传染的观点。无论社会比较方向如何，参与者在浏览更多积极的帖子时往往会报告更多的积极影响和更少的消极影响。相比之下，生活满意度与这两种机制有关。这项研究表明，情绪传染和社会比较机制可能会抵消彼此对人们如何评价自己生活的影响。讨论了理论和方法学意义。