Even POSITIVE comments about your appearance posted on Instagram photos make you feel self-conscious and ‘dissatisfied with your looks’
- Instagram posts littered with body-positive comments are bad for our wellbeing
- This is because even though they’re nice, they still put a focus on appearence
- The effect can fuel a sense of dissatisfaction with the way we look
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Few things get you down like a nasty comment on social media.
But according to a new study, even compliments and positive messages on social networks like Instagram make us feel bad about the way we look.
Instagram posts littered with body-positive comments made women feel more self-conscious than posts with comments that praised other aspects, the study found.
Scientists say this effect is likely even stronger when we read positive comments on our own photos.
They argue complimenting someone’s appearance on social media may do more harm than good, and suggest leaving a comment about something else entirely.
Looking at the positive comments left on photos of celebrities like Kim Kardashian can make us feel bad about the way we look
‘Although people make appearance comments to be supportive and helpful, in fact they just put more of a focus on appearance and in the end fuel body dissatisfaction among viewers,’ study coauthor Professor Marika Tiggemann told PsyPost.
‘Try to comment on something else.’
In the study, from Flinders University in Australia, 128 female students viewed Instagram images of attractive women paired with a brief positive comment.
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Some of the participants only read comments that praised the women’s appearence, such as ‘you look amazing’.
Others only saw comments that praised different aspects of the photo, such as ‘get beach’.
After viewing the photos, each participant was quizzed on their satisfaction with their appearance.
The Instagram posts of big celebrities are often littered with positive comments, such as ‘you are so beautiful’ and ‘pink is so your colour’
Pictured is a recent Instagram photo posted by Kylie Jenner alongside some of the positive comments she received. In the new study, women who viewed photos with body-positive comments felt more self-conscious than snaps with praise for other aspects of the photo
While body dissatisfaction rose for all of the women involved, it jumped significantly more in those who only saw positive comments about the person in the photo.
Professor Tiggemann suggested Instagram fans avoid leaving comments that only praise the poster’s appearance, though she admitted this may be difficult as compliments are part of the app’s ‘social script’.
She added that while the study looked at the effect comments on other people’s had on women, the impact on body dissatisfaction is likely magnified on our own posts.
‘I expect the effect would be stronger, but might expect a positive short-term effect and a negative longer-term effect,’ she said.
Some celebrities, such as pop star Taylor Swift, have chosen to remove all comments from their Instagram post. According to the new study, this may help boost the body confidence of their followers
Scientists say complimenting someone’s appearance on Instagram may do more harm than good, and suggest leaving a comment on something else instead
The study was published in the Journal Body Image.
It follows the revelation that a growing number of young women are now deficient in vital nutrients, as a result of trendy diets made popular by social media.
Research published in July showed women are more likely to cut out key food groups and develop depression if they use the app daily
It warned that women in their 20s and 30s now lack key minerals such as potassium, magnesium and copper as a result of the trend.
Experts said people who follow social media may be confused by diet trends, neurotic about food and unsure about what they should and shouldn’t be eating.
HOW CAN SOCIAL MEDIA HARM USERS’ HEALTH?
Twitter isn’t the first social media giant to look into how its platform affects users’ health.
Facebook admitted in December that the site could be damaging to people’s health if used the wrong way.
The company recommended that people use Facebook in an active, rather than passive, way, by communicating with friends, instead of just scrolling through their feed.
Facebook said it consulted with social psychologists, social scientists and sociologists to determine that the site can be good for users’ well-being if used the right way
By interacting with people when you use Facebook, it can improve your well-being, according to the company.
The report came after a former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya said Facebook ‘destroyed how society works’.
Facebook went on to say that while there were some downsides to social media, that by and large it has the potential for benefits if it’s used correctly.
In January, Facebook also acknowledged that social media can harm democracy.
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