Smith, R. H., Diener, E., &Wedell, D. H. (1989). Intrapersonal and social comparison determinants of happiness: A range-frequency analysis.
Examined whether intrapersonal comparisons and social comparisons operate in similar ways to determine ratings of happiness. Events were varied to create positively and negatively skewed distributions. The events in each distribution were ascribed to either a single person or a group of people; Ss rated how happy they would feel if they experienced specific events within the distribution. Ratings for both intrapersonal and social comparisons ...