Scrolling through social media and feeling that familiar sinking feeling? That's not accidental—it's engineered. But the real cost of comparison goes way beyond just feeling bad for a few minutes. In this solo episode, Eimear reveals three hidden costs of the comparison trap and shares one research-backed protocol that actually works to break free from the cycle.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00] Introduction: The comparison trap and why it's engineered [02:30] Hidden Cost #1: The opportunity cost of your attention [06:30] Hidden Cost #2: The goal hijacking phenomenon [10:30] Hidden Cost #3: The confidence compound interest you're missing [14:30] Why willpower doesn't work (and what does) [16:30] The Values Clarity & Replacement Protocol - Step 1: The 10-Minute Values Compass [19:00] Step 2: Creating your "Instead Of" list [21:00] Step 3: Implementation intentions that actually work [24:00] Your 7-day challenge

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Every time you switch your attention to scroll, it takes 23 minutes to refocus on your original task fully
• Exposure to others' goals on social media actually changes your own goals without you realizing it—leading to "borrowed dreams"
• Comparison breaks the confidence compound interest cycle—you're gathering evidence of others' success instead of building your own
• You can't just stop comparing—you have to replace it with something that honors your actual values
• Implementation intentions (if-then planning) make you 2-3x more likely to follow through on behavior change

KEY THEMES

• Understanding the hidden costs of social comparison beyond mood
• The neuroscience of attention and distraction
• Values-based decision making vs. comparison-based living
• Building confidence through action rather than observation
• Creating sustainable behavior change through replacement, not restriction

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Free and low-cost confidence-building resources: https://stan.store/eimearzone
• Research cited: Dr. Gloria Mark (UC Irvine) on attention residue
• Dr. Albert Bandura's self-efficacy research
• Leon Festinger's Social Comparison Theory
• Peter Gollwitzer's implementation intention research
• Cal Newport's work on deep work and attention

KEY RESEARCH SOURCES

• Mark, G., et al. (2005). "No task left behind? Examining the nature of fragmented work"
• Festinger, L. (1954). "A theory of social comparison processes"
• Bandura, A. (1997). "Self-efficacy: The exercise of control"
• Vogel, E. A., et al. (2014). "Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem"
• Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). "Implementation intentions and goal achievement"
• Hunt, M. G., et al. (2018). "No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression"

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