Our most recent paper can be found in a 2021 special theme issue of JMIR Mental Health: Voices in Adolescent Technology Use and Mental Wellness. As described in some of our previous posts (see here for a general overview and here for a previous study), #fitspiration is a trend on social media that displays images of healthy food or people appearing to exercise, in an effort to inspire healthy behaviors. Past research has suggested that fitspiration may have positive and negative consequences for wellbeing, including body image and engagement in healthy behaviors. But whether certain individuals may be more likely to experience positive versus negative consequences has been unclear – particularly among college students, who often rely on social media for health information.
Understanding individual differences in responses to these posts could be useful for informing college student wellness promotion on social media. For this reason, we wanted to understand whether two characteristics are related to responses to fitspiration posts:
- Regulatory focus: the tendency to either avoid failure (prevention focus) or approach desired outcomes (promotion focus)
- Social comparison orientation: the tendency to make comparisons with others (of appearance, intelligence, etc.) and value the resulting information
What Did We Do?
We collected online survey responses from 344 college students, about their social media use, their exposure to fitspiration posts, their perceived emotional responses to those posts, and their motivation to be physically active after viewing posts. They also completed established measures of regulatory focus and social comparison orientation. We looked for associations between fitspiration-related experiences, and in particular, whether these associations depended on scores for regulatory focus or social comparison orientation.
What Did We Find?
Students reported viewing fitspiration posts frequently, and indicated that they experience negative feelings about themselves more commonly than positive feelings after viewing these posts. However, the students who reported more negative feelings about themselves after viewing fitspiration also reported greater motivation to be physically active after viewing.
The association between how students felt about themselves after viewing fitspiration posts and their motivation to be physically active did not differ based on their regulatory focus or social comparison orientation. But the association between how frequently students looked for fitspiration posts and their motivation to be physically active did differ based on their social comparison orientation. Students who searched for fitspiration posts more frequently experienced greater motivation to be physically active than those who searched less frequently, and this association was strongest for students with low social comparison orientation.
What Does This Mean?
Regulatory focus and social comparison orientation may not be primary influences on how college students respond to fitspiration posts on social media, but they may still play a role in the effects of this trend. It is possible that students who frequently seek out fitspiration posts experience some motivation to be physically active, but that those who care least about how they are doing compared to others (low social comparison orientation) are most likely to be motivated.
Negative feelings about the self after fitspiration may be most motivating for physical activity for those with low social comparison orientation. This could be because these students feel less threatened by comparisons with the people featured in fitspiration posts than students with high social comparison orientation, and may see the posts as representing achievable outcomes for them (leading to greater motivation). However, negative feelings about the self after viewing fitspiration may not be motivating for students who are more prevention-focused, as fitspiration posts do not provide a negative model to avoid (or prevent experiencing similar outcomes).
What Was It Like to Work on This Study?
Working on this study has been a rewarding journey. This was one of my first independent experiences collecting data in which I was able to lead a study from start to finish. Specifically, I learned how to translate my developing research interests into questions that could be answered by an ongoing project, write a research article independently, and interact with the iterative publication process for the first time. I learned that a researcher needs to justify every aspect of their study, and that it is important to anticipate setbacks such as rejected manuscripts, but to persevere with a project despite these setbacks. There are all things my mentor (Dr. Arigo) has always emphasized throughout my training.
— Kristen Pasko, CHASE Lab 4th-year clinical Ph.D. student
We collected these data a while back, to learn more about how college students use and respond to information on social media. We spent quite a long time sorting through this information to clarify what key insights we could share. Kristen’s consistent interest in the topic of fitspiration led to a range of questions that we narrowed down and then revised for the JMIR Mental Health special issue, which was a perfect match for this work. Special thanks to the Technology and Adolescent Mental Wellness (TAM) Program at the University of Wisconsin for sponsoring this special issue!
— Dr. Dani Arigo, CHASE Lab Director
What Comes Next?
Our ultimate goal is to understand how best to use the fitspiration trend to promote healthy behavior among college students, without prompting excessive increases in negative feelings or self-image. To do this, our next steps are (1) to examine the complex associations between tendencies such as social comparison orientation, reactions to fitspiration images, motivation, and behavior, and (2) to test methods for promoting motivation, healthy behaviors, and healthy self-image in response to fitspiration. As always, stay tuned for more!
Clinical Health And Social Experiences Lab 