COMPARING COMPARISONS.

• Author: Farsad, Negin
• Position: On comparison and human nature

Human beings are comparison machines. It's an inevitable part of the mishegas of being human--it's built into the code. We spend about 10 percent of our thinking in a state of comparison. We compare looks, wealth, status, interior decor, foot arches, pants, cooking skills, the ability to win or lose games, neighborhoods, dogs, sports teams, and pizza types. We even build allegiances based on these things so that the next time we compare them, we have concrete decisions in place about the comparisons. We fortify the allegiance and harden these comparisons over and over and over. We can't stop, we won't stop.

There might be moderate benefits to comparisons, like building drive and ambition. But, generally, it's one of our lesser traits, as fundamental and gross as pooping and warts. In fact, it's such a negative trait that people who regularly compare--i.e., literally everyone--"experience feelings of deep dissatisfaction, guilt, or remorse, and engage in destructive behaviors like lying or disordered eating," according to Psychology Today. Or, as one popular quote observes, it's the "thief of joy."

Our inventions, tools, and strategies shouldn't highlight the negative human propensity toward comparison. Toilets take poop away so we don't have to see it anymore. We have to poop--there's no way around it--but we've all agreed that we should not physically and visually bathe in it all the time. Yet, when it comes to our poop-adjacent problem of comparison, social media, television, reality shows, and the 900 other forms of messaging operate by underscoring our differences and catapulting us into a comparison frenzy.

I'm struck by Utah's Social Media Regulation Act, which will place limitations on when kids can log on and require parental consent to sign up for platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, among others. There are many details to be hammered out, like how it will be enforced and where it leaves underprivileged minors who might need some of the mental health services available on social media. Putting all of these considerations to the side, when it comes to this legislation, my knee-jerk reaction was: That sounds great; can we do it for adults, too? And can we add a whole bunch of other rules?

I would love a rule about how many vacation photos people are allowed to post. Let's get granular: If your vacation for a family of four cost more than $2,000, you are prohibited from posting about it. Your vacation should appear decent...