According to a study, fans of fitness influencers are more likely to be depressed despite exercising more.
According to a new study published in Cyberpsychology Journal, young adults who follow fitness influencers on social media are physically healthy. The results show that participants reported a disproportionately greater amount of “vigorous exercise” as well as fruit and vegetable intake. However, participants also reported poorer mental health.
The survey surveyed 1,022 young adults aged 18 to 35 from May to November 2021 from three different English-speaking countries in various ways: New Zealand looked at Orago University students, the United States used Mechanical Turk from Amazon and the UK received their results through the surveyor, Prolific. The researchers selected these countries for their high social media usage and focused their attention on Instagram usage, primarily due to its significant user population among young adults.
Ultimately, the study found that young adults who actively follow fitness influencers on Instagram are more likely to exercise vigorously and consume more fruits and vegetables than non-followers, suggesting healthier lifestyles. However, they also reported higher levels of mental distress and greater well-being than people who did not follow the influencers. Researchers believe this indicates that this demographic of young adults is vulnerable to fitness and compulsive eating behaviors, including eating disorders.
The researchers noticed a marked difference between followers and non-followers, with the latter having a healthier mind-body relationship when they engaged in vigorous exercise compared to those who exercised vigorously and followed influencers. They attributed that these results are consistent with previous findings from other studies on the negative effects of following influencers on Instagram.
The study cited a January 2024 systematic review of 12 intervention studies that looked at how social media influencers sharing health information or Instagram images that fit the ideal can affect the minds of those who follow them. The researchers found that the majority of participants were negatively affected, with many reporting unhealthy food intake, mood, and poor body image.
According to the study, by imposing the so-called “ideal fit,” fitness influencers can encourage “compulsive levels of exercise and obsessions with healthy or pure diets,” also known as orthorexia. Internalizing what they see on their social networks or the adherence of their favorite influencer can lead to a worse body image, especially if the person is motivated to be healthier or follow a regimen solely for appearance-related motivations.
Researchers suspect that appearance-motivated exercise may increase the likelihood of poorer mental health among those who follow health influencers. Social comparison and harmful intentions can contribute to feelings of depression, anxiety, and negative body image.
