Social comparisons and income satisfaction: A cross-national examination

In this study we look at the cross-national applicability of social comparison theory. National samples of workers in 12 countries were used to examine the effect of social comparisons on pay satisfaction. After controlling for actual pay levels, three different pay comparisons were predictive of satisfaction with pay. Further, we showed that these social comparison effects extended across the majority of countries in this sample. We call for more research that specifically examines cultural dimensions of comparisons, within and across borders.