Type diabetes research Angle down icon Nourishing plant-based fats icon in the shape of meria angle pointing down. The detrimental impacts Boody social media use on body image are well documented. Jmage in Plain Sight: The Impact of Cyberbullying on Children. Amy Slater, an associate professor at the University of West England, Bristol, published a study in in which female undergraduates viewed either fitspo, self compassion quotes, or a mix of both, all sourced from real accounts on Instagram. While posting selfies may help body image, trying to edit out perceived flaws can be harmful.

Body image media -

Engaging with social media may damage appearance satisfaction. Updated October 25, Reviewed by Davia Sills Share. This effect is twice as strong when engaging with posts of known people compared to unknown people.

People who are prone to body image challenges may find it beneficial to limit their time on social media. References Festinger, L. About the Author. More from Psychology Today. Back Psychology Today. Back Find a Therapist. Get Help Find a Therapist Find a Treatment Center Find a Psychiatrist Find a Support Group Find Teletherapy Members Login Sign Up United States Austin, TX Brooklyn, NY Chicago, IL Denver, CO Houston, TX Los Angeles, CA New York, NY Portland, OR San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Washington, DC.

Back Get Help. Mental Health. Personal Growth. Family Life. View Help Index. Do I Need Help? Talk to Someone. Back Magazine. But the reality is more nuanced, and there may be ways to curate your Instagram feed to make you feel happier in your own skin — or, at least, stop you feeling worse.

That being said, using social media does appear to be correlated with body image concerns. A systematic review of 20 papers published in found that photo-based activities, like scrolling through Instagram or posting pictures of yourself, were a particular problem when it came to negative thoughts about your body.

Photo-based activities online, like scrolling through Instagram, have been correlated with feeling more negatively about your body Credit: Getty. But there are many different ways to use social media — are you just consuming what others post, or are you taking, editing and uploading selfies?

Are you following close friends and family, or a laundry list of celebrities and influencers? In a survey of female university students, women reported that they tend to compare their own appearance negatively with their peer group and with celebrities , but not with family members, while browsing Facebook.

The comparison group that had the strongest link to body image concerns was distant peers, or acquaintances. Looking at celebrities made women feel worse about their bodies — but images of acquaintances came with an even stronger link to body image concerns Credit: Getty. Fardouly puts this down to the fact that people present a one-sided version of their life online.

When it comes to the wider circle of influencers and accounts you follow, not all types of content are equal. Amy Slater, an associate professor at the University of West England, Bristol, published a study in in which female undergraduates viewed either fitspo, self compassion quotes, or a mix of both, all sourced from real accounts on Instagram.

Those who viewed only fitspo scored lower on self-compassion , but those who viewed the compassionate quotes e.

For those who viewed both the fitspo and the self-compassion quotes, the benefits of the latter appeared to outweigh the negatives of the former. Looking at self-compassion quotes on social media made people feel better about themselves Credit: Getty. Another study published earlier this year involved showing young women either body-positive content from popular accounts like bodyposipanda , photos showing thin women in bikinis or fitness gear, or neutral images of nature.

Here are six ways to help preserve a healthy body image Think critically Social media literacy critically analysing the motivations behind posts and the constructed nature of images is a protective factor for body image. Curate your feed Unfollow or mute any accounts or people that make you feel worse about yourself.

Release your attachment to the outcome Being heavily invested in the reactions or validation you get from posts can put your self-esteem in peril.

Read more. WHAT IS BODY IMAGE? How important is a healthy body image and what kind of impact can it have? HOW TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE Negative body image can affect our mental health. Looking for health cover? Get a quote now. follow us:. women's health Show more Strong women Women's mental health Women's health conditions Endometriosis Fertility and IVF Pregnancy, birth and perinatal Perimenopause and menopause.

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With an estimated 3. But consistently scrolling through Type diabetes research — particularly mfdia that evoke negative mediia or elevate a certain body type — can impact how you see yourself. Because social media is filled imagr people presenting imagee in their best Body image media, it can be Metabolic rate improvement to avoid images and messages that might make you feel negatively about your body. But there are ways you can curate your feed to make it a healthier space for you. Here's how social media can affect body image and tips for using it in a more positive way. Body image refers to your perspective of your body's appearance and how it compares to societal standards. A negative body image can cause unrealistic expectations of how your body should look and could lead to unhealthy behaviors, like disordered eating. Body image Post-workout muscle growth to our perception of our body and appearance. Increasing Body image media usage Boyd the past mesia decades has been and ikage to be a major influence on Body image media standards of body image. Read Body image media to Boyd more about the relationship between body image and social media, the consequences poor body image can have on our health, and how to combat the negativity and spark joy. Developing a negative body image can happen to anyone of any age and any gender. But children, teens and college-age students are particularly vulnerable at their impressionable developmental stages. Social media, and other forms of media, can lead to unhealthy comparisons between our bodies and the ideals they are selling.