Obsessive Facebook habits were linked to disordered eating in a new study from Florida State University.
The study, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, found that certain Facebook behaviors, such as focusing on receiving “likes” and comments and obsessively untagging photos, could potentially be indicators of distorted self-image and disordered eating.
“If you don’t get the ‘likes’ or the comments, you feel like those in your network don’t think you look good,” said Andrew Selepak, director of UF’s Master of Arts and Communications program with a specialization in social media. “It’s a modern issue and one that continues to get worse.”
In the study, researchers assessed the eating habits and Internet usage patterns of 960 female college students by having them complete a questionnaire. Then, a smaller sample of 84 women from that group were selected for another experiment.
Researchers asked some of the participants to log in to Facebook for 20 minutes while the others looked at different websites, according to the study. Afterward, participants were asked about their preoccupation with their bodies.
In both experiments, results showed that participants who spent more time on Facebook generally had higher disordered eating scores, particularly those who untagged pictures and showed greater concern with receiving “likes” and comments.
Jim Probert, a licensed psychologist at UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center, said part of the problem may be the natural human need for social support and validation from others.
“If someone is struggling to have more heart-to-heart connection with people,” Probert said, “then maybe those kind of forms of validation become more important.”
Autumn Barker, a 21-year-old UF English senior, said she thinks Facebook is a means for users to seek the approval of their peers.
“We want to be important in other people’s opinion,” she said. “If we don’t get those ‘likes’ or comments, we don’t get that approval.”
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 3/18/2014 under the headline "FSU study finds links between body image and Facebook habits"]
