In this chapter, we explore the role that social comparison plays in judgments of personal risk. We argue that judgments of our risk for health and safety problems are shaped by social comparisons, and we consider the implications of this statement for the construction of successful health campaigns. 

We ask 4 questions. Do various elements of the social comparison process influence personal risk judgments? Do people attempt to preserve their favorable comparative standing on risk dimensions? Do social comparisons with others occur spontaneously when making judgments about personal risk in everyday life? Do people's social comparisons on risk dimensions predict their affective, self-evaluative, and behavioral responses? To answer these questions, we draw heavily from a body of research whose consistent message is that when people estimate their risk relative to that of others, they often are unrealistically optimistic. 

Our examination of these issues also allows us to address 2 related topics—how research on risk judgment may contribute to the development of social comparison theory, and how research linking social comparison with risk judgments may suggest ways of increasing desirable health behaviors and decreasing undesirable behaviors.