In this new world of social media, everyone’s trying to prove that it's a bad thing.
As it turns out, there may be something to our fears
A new study has found that young women who used Facebook often were much more likely to have unhealthy eating behaviors.
What’s the connection? This finding was only linked to women who used Facebook to compare themselves to others.
As long as they weren’t using it for this purpose, there wasn’t as much of a connection.
The lead study author, Stephanie Zerwas, said: “It’s sort of this double-edged sword. If you’re using it as a measuring stick to compare your body to everyone else’s bodies online, that’s really risky and associated with a lot of disordered eating.
“But if you’re only using it to build a social network with the people around you, that can actually be productive by decreasing loneliness and creating relationships.”
It sounds simple, but it’s less simple than you think. You may think that you’re not using Facebook in a damaging way, but you may be comparing yourself to others without realizing it. Untagging yourself in a picture of yourself that you think you look fat in, or posting a picture of yourself in a swimsuit in order to get approval from a certain number of people.
So how do you know if your behavior on Facebook is self-destructive? Ask yourself these questions, provided by Zerwas: ##MN_RESP##
- Why are you really posting that picture? If the answer is “for validation that I’m attractive,” you may want to rethink it. Try posting pictures that are from important moments in your life, rather than just for likes.
- Why do you like other people’s pictures? Do you find yourself thinking “wow, she looks so thin!” or “wow, she really lost weight!” when you like someone’s picture? Or are you thinking about how it looks like they’re having fun, or that you want to show them you’re thinking about them? There’s a big difference.
- How do you feel when you close your browser window? If you feel sad, jealous, or anxious about yourself when you’re done looking at Facebook, it may be time to take a step back. Try thinking about how much you pick and choose what you show people about your life, and try to realize that everyone else does that just as much as you do.
But hey, if you don't relate negatively to Facebook, go for it! It's great for connecting with people you care about.
