Are degrees of comparison making people sad.??.

I was at a workshop yesterday and we were discussing the impact unemployment has on a person’s motivation and self esteem.
We talked a little about depression (in its milder form e.g. not clinically diagnosed but experienced none the less by the individual.
One member of the group stated were it not for degrees of comparison, people would rarely experience such feelings.
The point being made was that people often feel low when they compare themselves /their lives, to others. If they were to refrain from doing so, they would almost immediately experience a better quality of life.

I was thinking about that again today

There are apparently 3 degrees of comparison
Positive - sweet/the same
Comparative - sweeter/more than
Superlative - sweetest/the most
To be honest it’s very much a part of how we distinguish one thing from another in our everyday lives so could we really function without doing so... at all?

I think it’s definitely an ideal, a position worth striving for

An affirmation could sound something like
I’m sweet today, sweeter than yesterday and the sweetest I’ve ever been.
I’m smart today, smarter than yesterday and the smartest I’ve ever been

Oddly enough what's usually viewed as a negative, for some people, it can be used to their advantage - e.g - people feel good because they believe they are better off than someone else.. or, the suffering of others makes you realise you're actually not doing too badly after all..( it's just that there's little honour in that.. and it leans towards a more mean spirited viewpoint)

A person experiencing low self esteem due to unemployment may find it difficult not to compare, due to the constant reminders of the fact they are jobless. e.g the treks to the job centre, the stream of questions, the lack of funds, the feeling of being judged and found wanting, and the reality of a life lived with limited options.

Despite that, if they are able to focus on their unique qualities, abilities, and potential, and strive to be the best that they can be, it may help to minimize, and hopefully remove any feelings of inadequacy, in short feeling great, greater than yesterday, and the greatest they’ve ever been. A 'great' way to begin a new chapter of employment and hopefully a life with a 'few more' options.

*Why should anybody wanna 'be like Mike' when they can have it 'goin' on' for themselves*