Gabriela Küchler

Past research on how people evaluate and compare themselves in central characteristics focuses strongly on preconditions, processes, and consequences of such comparisons while neglecting individual differences. The current study bridges social and personality research by examining domain specificity, temporal stability, and age differences of social and past-temporal comparisons. Using lifespan samples from Germany ( N = 313, 18–84 years, 49.8% female) and the USA ( N = 302, 18–72 years, 52.0% female), participants reported the frequency and perceived usefulness of social and past-temporal comparisons concerning five domains: emotional stability, extraversion, physical appearance, professional success, and personal life. The results show that individual differences in comparison tendencies were rather domain-specific. Within a specific life domain, the usage of social and past-temporal comparisons was strongly correlated. Individual differences in comparison tendencies were moderately stable over four weeks (~ 0.60). With older age, participants indicated using comparisons less frequently and seeing them as less useful than young adults. We discuss that future research on social and temporal comparisons would benefit from a trait-state approach taking individual differences in domain-specific comparisons and the co-occurrence of social and temporal comparisons into account.

Previous research has identified state mindfulness as a key change mechanism in explicitly mindfulness-based interventions to increase trait mindfulness and reduce stress. This study extends previous work by examining trajectories of state mindfulness and their associations with trait indicators of mindfulness, self-compassion, and perceived stress when mindfulness practices are delivered within a Socioemotional Competence Training (SECT) without explicit mindfulness labeling. A sample of 166 healthy younger and older German adults (75.2% female; M _age = 46.26; SD _age = 18.70) participated in the 8-week SECT. State mindfulness was assessed weekly, whereas trait mindfulness, self-compassion, and perceived stress were assessed before, during, and after the training. Second-order latent growth models suggest significant pre-post improvements in all state and trait variables ( d = |0.38| to |0.62|), but trait changes were not predicted by changes in state mindfulness. These findings indicate that while state mindfulness increases during the Socioemotional Competence Training, these increases alone appear insufficient to drive changes in trait mindfulness and related outcomes. Results suggest that intervention framing could play a crucial role in facilitating explicit connections between state experiences and trait development, contributing to our understanding of mindfulness as a change mechanism in psychological interventions.

Many psychological interventions are designed to address specific characteristics of socioemotional functioning. This randomized controlled trial innovatively examined to what extent effects of such an intervention generalize to broader domains. The new socioemotional competence training (SECT), designed to improve social and emotional functioning and well-being in healthy adults, consists of eight weekly 2-hr sessions and was conducted in three cohorts. We collected data on both specific outcomes that were directly targeted during the training (i.e., mindfulness, perceived stress) and broader psychological indicators of emotional and social functioning (e.g., self-compassion, empathy, perspective taking, well-being) before, during, and after the training, with follow-ups after 3 and 12 months. Participants were 166 young (19-39 years, M = 28.16, SD = 4.7) and older (50-78 years, M = 63.55, SD = 7.2) healthy German adults (75.2% female). Of these, 73 and 54 participants were randomly allocated to the socioemotional competence training or to a waitlist control group, respectively. Thirty-nine participants were allocated to the last training cohort. Results of the mixed effects models showed significant Group-by-Time effects on mindfulness (b = 0.28, 95% CI [0.16, 0.40]), perceived stress (b = -0.36, 95% CI [-0.56, -0.16]), and well-being (b = 0.43, 95% CI [0.09, 0.78]), but no meaningful effects on the other broader outcomes. Training effects were stable across 3- to 12-months follow-up. The socioemotional competence training yielded specific improvements in characteristics that were explicitly and consistently addressed throughout the training. This underscores the importance of tailored interventions in promoting specific aspects of socioemotional well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: This research investigates how reflective processes, such as past‐temporal and social comparisons, enhance changes in explicit and implicit self‐concepts of social–emotional traits and whether these effects differ with age. Method: We conducted two preregistered multi‐method studies to examine whether past‐temporal or social comparisons predict changes in emotional stability and extraversion. In the longitudinal study ( N = 615, aged 18–84 years), we assessed the frequency of past‐temporal and social comparisons, explicit and implicit self‐concepts of emotional stability and extraversion at two measuring points 6 months apart. In the experimental study ( N = 231, aged 18–93 years), we elicited trait‐relevant behavioral changes, manipulated past‐temporal versus social comparisons, and assessed explicit and implicit trait self‐concepts before and after the manipulation. Results: Past‐temporal and social comparisons predicted longitudinal changes in the explicit self‐concept of emotional stability but not extraversion. The experimental study indicated changes in explicit self‐concepts of both traits, regardless of the type of comparison standard. Neither type of comparison predicted changes in implicit self‐concepts. The findings were generalizable across age groups. Conclusions: This research provides the first evidence that comparisons facilitate the change of explicit but not implicit trait self‐concepts. We discuss short‐term mechanisms of personality development and future directions for examining them experimentally.

Objectives: Social and temporal comparisons are ubiquitous and considered important sources of an individual’s self-knowledge. Yet, comparisons are inherently evaluative and may result in negative affective consequences. In contrast, mindfulness and self-compassion are characterized by a present-moment, non-evaluative, and accepting stance toward the self and one’s experiences and are associated with numerous positive psychological health indicators. This study innovatively examined the associations of mindfulness and self-compassion with frequency and perceived utility of social (i.e., with others) and past-temporal (i.e., with the past self) comparisons across different life domains. Method: In a binational online study, we examined the associations between mindfulness, self-compassion, and comparisons across five different domains (i.e., extraversion, emotional stability, appearance, professional success, and private life) in a gender- and age-diverse sample at two measurement points 6 months apart (N_T1 = 615, N_T2 = 310, 18–84 years, 51.5% female). Results: Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that the more mindful or self-compassionate individuals were, the less they compared themselves with others or their past self (across domains β = − 0.25 to − 0.51; all p-values < 0.001). Contrary to our expectations, the overall pattern of results suggests that mindfulness and self-compassion were generally not significantly associated with perceiving comparisons as less useful (after family-wise error correction; β = − 0.04 to − 0.14; all p-values ≥ 0.008). Conclusions: The findings suggest that comparisons, when done mindfully and self-compassionately, can be a valuable source of information for self-knowledge. At the same time, mindfulness and self-compassion may buffer against negative affective outcomes of comparison processes. Preregistration: This study is preregistered on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/6hfb2.