Social Comparison and Family Life

In my previous two posts I've described two psychological processes that can negatively affect our happiness in the home and as a family. First, I described how habituation (or taking things for granted because we're used to them) can diminish the happiness and joy we feel with family. Second, I reviewed how family life presents many negative experiences that are simply part of reality in our homes.

The third psychological process that can dramatically reduce our happiness as parents is social comparison.