In the only investigation of social comparison and chronic pain that did not study individuals with RA, Jensen and Karoly interviewed former inpatients at a multidisciplinary pain program, the majority of whom suffered from chronic low back pain or headache. This is also the only study to assess comparisons as cognitive coping strategies. That is, use of selective focus as an effortful strategy was queried with the item: "When in pain, I remind myself about things that I have going for me that other people don't have, such as intelligence, good looks, and good friends." Creation of worse possible worlds was assessed with the item: "When in pain, I remind myself that things could be worse." To assess the setting of manufactured normative standards, participants were asked how frequently they reminded themselves that they were adjusting to their pain better than the average pain patient. And the indicator of downward comparisons asked participants how often they remind themselves that there are people who are worse off. Combining these indicators into a composite measure of comparative self-evaluation, Jensen and Karoly found that after controlling for demographic and pain-related variables, the tendency to use downward comparisons was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, particularly for those with the shortest pain duration. To explain this anomaly, the authors suggested that when patients experience sufficient personal control over their illness, favorable comparisons may no longer represent coping efforts, but rather reflect accurate appraisals. Although we believe that this distinction is critical for the advancement of social comparison theory and for the emergent coping paradigm, Jensen and Karoly's care to measure comparative coping makes us doubt their interpretation. We are also convinced that any cross-sectional association between social comparison and well-being cannot inform us about the use or effectiveness of such comparisons to cope with pain and other chronic illnesses. To answer these questions, individuals need to be studied intensively over time. We next address the promise and challenges of such an approach to coping processes.