We know, many times it is inevitable. We open one of the favorite applications of celebrities Instagram, of course- and what we see translates into two words: perfect lives. Because it is clear that having avocado for breakfast, -which by the way is ideal on an ideal toast with all kinds of fruits-, taking a wonderfully well-framed photo with dreamy views, or wearing very expensive looks on perfect bodies we all like. But what happens when we compare our normal lives with the supposedly successful lives of others?
Why Comparing Your Life Makes You Less Happy On Instagram?
sadness. Having a bad day -at work, with your partner or precisely because of their absence, because of a discussion in the social circle…- and opening Instagram where everyone is happy can be the worst. Is there someone who uploads a photo saying that life is not pretty sometimes? Of course not, everything that surrounds the social network is sweetened with unique moments, with awakenings that are a new opportunity and with jobs that do not work. Therefore, comparing yourself to those perfect people when you are not at your best will not only not help you, but it will make you even sadder.
Competition. And who wants to be the only one not going to a party? The comparison on Instagram with other lives that seem to have just been taken from ‘The Blue Lagoon’ can lead us to want to do the same, to gain social acceptance or even a pinch of happiness with ‘likes’ on the social network of photography. Competing with other people, whether they are famous or not, will not make life better, it will make it less real.
Frustration. Not being able to have thousands – or pulling higher, millions – of followers like other people can be a stick for those who are obsessed with acceptance in networks. The ‘likes’ have a double edge: that someone likes a photo on the screen does not have to mean that you have their love or support in real life. Trying to achieve goals on Instagram can distort the concept of happiness and we only want to be other people and not ourselves.
Distortion. And what happens with a mixture of misunderstood competitiveness, the sadness or frustration of not achieving those idyllic lives and the unreality that these entail can do us a very disservice, since we can suddenly distort real life. Choosing a frame, putting on the most beautiful filter, living a supposed vacation life or infinite beauty is not reality. Distorting it or getting frustrated about not having thousands of followers can contribute to social problems where it really matters: in the world around you outside of your smartphone screen.
