The effects of fitspiration and self-compassion Instagram posts on body image and self-compassion in men and women

Research has demonstrated links between viewing idealized images on social media and body dissatisfaction, but more work is needed to understand how exposure to appearance-related content influences body image. The current research evaluated the effects of viewing fitspiration images and images of self compassion quotes on Instagram on men and women's body image and self-compassion. This topic was examined in two separate investigations in the U.S.; a sample of undergraduate students (N = 180, 62 men and 118 women) and a community sample recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 296; 173 men and 123 women). In both studies, participants viewed either same-gender images of fitspiration, self-compassion quotes, a combination of fitspiration images and self-compassion quotes, or neutral images (control). Overall, the findings suggest that viewing fitspiration images only promotes lower body satisfaction and appreciation, whereas viewing self-compassion images only leads to improved body satisfaction and appreciation. There was, however, little support for the buffering effects of self-compassion in the combined condition. Our results demonstrate the detrimental effects of exposure to fitspiration content and the positive effects of exposure to self-compassion content on social media for men and women as well as the need for future research in this area. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Research has shown a link between viewing idealized images on social media and body dissatisfaction, with fitspiration images promoting lower body satisfaction, while self-compassion images lead to improved satisfaction. More work is needed to understand how exposure to appearance-related content influences body image.