In the list of places where you are most likely to see people exercising, social media is probably second in line after the gym.
Tricia Burke, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Texas State University in San Marcos, wanted to know why this happens and what exactly all these selfies of others cause in one's psyche.
Together with Stephen Rains from the University of Arizona, they surveyed 230 people who are active on social media for their thoughts on their health, fitness and weight, how often they posted fitness posts on their timeline, who made such posts. , their tendency to compare themselves with others etc.
Compared to those who did not see many fitness posts, those who were "hit" by fitness updates tended to worry more about their weight, which translates into lower self-esteem. In fact, the phenomenon was more intense when the "viewer" saw in himself similarities with the one who had made the post.
That is, if he thought he looked like the person he saw in a post, he tended to make more comparisons about weight, ability, and fitness.
Of course, the conclusions were not only negative, as many answered that making "upward" social comparisons, that is, comparing themselves with people they consider better and who see in posts with fitness content, made them perceive exercise more positively. .
"Of course it also works as a motivator," Burke commented, noting, however, that the average social media user is unaware of the impact such posts have on his psyche and the impact varies from person to person.
"Many of us just scroll and passively watch things. "We may not even realize how we internalize them and that this can affect our perception of ourselves."
Source: LIFO