#Compare anything website how to

#Compare anything website how to

The theory explains how individuals evaluate their own opinions and abilities by comparing themselves to others to reduce uncertainty in these domains, and learn how to define the self. Social comparison theory, initially proposed by social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954, centers on the belief that there is a drive within individuals to gain accurate self-evaluations. Some marketing relies on making such comparisons to entice people to purchase things so they compare more favorably with people who have these things. In adults, this can lead to unhappiness when a person compares things that they have to things they perceived as superior and unobtainable that others have. Children begin developing the ability to compare themselves to others in elementary school. Humans also tend to compare themselves and their belongings with others, an activity also observed in some animals. When consumers and others invest excessive thought into making comparisons, this can result in the problem of analysis paralysis. In the twenty-first century, as shopping has increasingly been done on the internet, comparison shopping websites have developed to aid shoppers in making such determinations. In commerce, people often engage in comparison shopping: attempting to get the best deal for a product by comparing the qualities of different available versions of that product and attempting to determine which one maximizes the return on the money spent. This behavior carries over into activities like shopping for food, clothes, and other items, choosing which job to apply for or which job to take from multiple offers, or choosing which applicants to hire for employment. Humans similarly have always engaged in comparison when hunting or foraging for food.

If two things are too different to compare in a useful way, an attempt to compare them is colloquially referred to in English as 'comparing apples and oranges.' Comparison is widely used in society, in science and in the arts.Ĭomparison is a natural activity, which even animals engage in when deciding, for example, which potential food to eat. To compare things, they must have characteristics that are similar enough in relevant ways to merit comparison. In the most limited sense, it consists of comparing two units isolated from each other. Any exploration of the similarities or differences of two or more units is a comparison. Comparison has a different meaning within each framework of study. To compare is to bring two or more things together (physically or in contemplation) and to examine them systematically, identifying similarities and differences among them. Comparison can take many distinct forms, varying by field: The description of similarities and differences found between the two things is also called a comparison. Where characteristics are different, the differences may then be evaluated to determine which thing is best suited for a particular purpose.

A chart showing a comparison of qualities of a variety of cooking oils, aimed at helping the reader decide which choices would be best for their health.Ĭomparison or comparing is the act of evaluating two or more things by determining the relevant, comparable characteristics of each thing, and then determining which characteristics of each are similar to the other, which are different, and to what degree.