Who's Better? Exploring the Effects of Social Comparison in HRI on Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy

As robots become common in our everyday lives, their presence can impact how we view ourselves due to humans' inherent tendency for social comparison. This study explored how performing a simple search task alongside a robot can influence self-esteem and self-efficacy. These basic psychological constructs are known to contribute strongly to human well-being. Participants were asked to look for specific target symbols printed on cubes, while a robot performed a similar independent task next to them. They were assigned to one of three conditions: Upward comparison, where the robot's performance was perceived as superior; Downward comparison, where the robot's performance was perceived as inferior; or Equal performance, where the robot's performance was equal to their performance. While there was no direct interaction with the robot, performing a task next to it led participants to automatically engage in social comparison and compare their performance and capabilities to those of the robot. Our findings reveal that participants in the Upward comparison condition experienced a decrease in self-esteem, self-efficacy, and performance accuracy compared to the Downward comparison and Equal performance. The results suggest that even without direct interaction, simply performing a task alongside a robot can significantly impact individuals' basic psychological constructs and the way they perceive themselves. As robots increasingly share environments with humans, this study highlights the importance of considering people's tendency for social comparison when designing human-robot interaction and the extent of its impact on humans' well-being.