Cure the comparison CURSE

Keeping up with the Joneses can be exhausting, so here's our expert guide to help you run your own race

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Trying to keep pace with your more adventurous friends? Envious of colleagues who can afford to retire early while you're slogging away? Comparing yourself with others is something we all do - it's human instinct. 'Comparison has been hardwired into our DNA for thousands of years,' explains therapist Marisa Peer. 'Previously, to stay alive, we learnt how to do things by watching others - it was survival of the fittest.'

However, fast forward to the current day and pitting ourselves against our peers has become a measuring stick for material worth, personal success and life satisfaction, often breeding low self-esteem, jealousy and depression. It's time we put a stop to it, here's how...

Viewing the competition

We often tend to overestimate the happiness and success of others, while failing to notice any negatives about their lives*. Unsurprisingly, women can get stuck feeling 'less than' when comparing themselves with others.