The Frog Pond Effect is the theory that individuals evaluate themselves as worse when in a group of higher performing individuals.
The Frog Pond Effect is a part of the wider social comparison theory. It relates to how individuals evaluate themselves based on comparisons to other people around them, and is generally due to upward comparisons. Davis first noticed this effect when he discovered that students evaluated their performance as worse based on their peers from their school. MacFarland and Buehler theorized that the effect happens because individuals self-monitor within-group rather than compare across groups. Individuals are affected by the Frog Pond Effect the most when they come from an individualistic culture, lack strong social connections, and have low collective self-esteem.