Testing Age Similarity As a Moderator of Emotional Responses to Upward Comparisons with Social Media Fitness Influencers

Similarity with a superior person is proposed to intensify the emotional impact of upward comparisons, producing both envy and self-improvement motivation. In this experimental study, upward comparisons with social media fitness influencers elicited envy but not motivation to exercise. Surprisingly, age similarity did not moderate the effects of the comparisons.