A study titled “Social media and body image: Relationships between social media appearance preoccupation, self-objectification, and body image,” which included 939 university students, examined the relationship between appearance preoccupation on social media, body surveillance, body-related shame, and the desire to become thinner or more muscular. It found that the greater a person’s preoccupation with their appearance on social media, the more likely they were to constantly monitor their body shape, which in turn was associated with a stronger desire to be thinner or more muscular. The study also found that body shame played a mediating role in the relationship with the desire to become thinner.
