Self-concept clarity and envy as mediators between upward social comparison on social networking sites and subjective well-being

The popularity of social networking sites increases opportunities for upward social comparison, potentially affecting individuals' subjective well-being. However, research on how this comparison impacts well-being's sub-components (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) is scarce. This study, based on social comparison theory and the full theoretical construct of subjective well-being, explores these relationships and their mechanisms. A total of 970 Chinese youth participants (M_age = 19.42 years, SD = 2.01) completed self-report measures. The results showed that the independent mediating effect of envy and the chain mediating effect of self-concept clarity and envy contributed to all three models. In addition, the independent mediating effect of self-concept clarity only contributed to the model for negative affect. This study emphasizes that the construct of envy mediates the effect of upward social comparison on the sub-components of subjective well-being and further demonstrates a strong impact of upward social comparison on negative affect.