Health and Fitness Social Media Posts May Lead to Unhealthy Body Image

According to a new study completed by researchers from the University of Arizona along with Texas State University, exercise-related posts on social media may cause other users to feel concerned about their own weight. When people received more exercise-related posts, they often felt more self-conscious about their own bodies. This could lead to an unhealthy body image.

However, the news wasn’t all bad. The study also indicated that fitness-related posts could serve as motivation for some people. These posts got some of the 232 study participants interested in exercise and improved opinions about fitness. This was especially true among individuals who make upward social comparisons.

These findings were published in Health Communication on January 24, 2018.