An estimated 3.6 billion people around the world use social media and has become an important part of human life. But overuse of it can lead to negative emotions and thoughts related to our appearance. Therefore, psychologists have said that excessive social media use can create negative thoughts.
According to insider’s report, since millions of people in social media are busy trying to show themselves perfectly. Therefore, while scrolling, it becomes difficult for many people to ignore pictures and videos, but it highlights negative thoughts in our minds.
Negative mental thoughts from the use of social media
Body image refers to the appearance of your body. Seeing beautiful pictures and videos of millions of influencers, actors, and celebrities on social media, we start feeling inferior to ourselves. The questions start circulating in our minds, ‘How do I look?’ Don’t I look beautiful? Have I gained weight?’ These questions have a serious impact on our health, for example, most people stop eating.
According to a 2018 study, there has been a relationship between users’ time spent on social media, anxiety about appearance and not eating food in order.
To compare
Another negative effect of the use of social media is to constantly compare ourselves with others, we start to consider the appearance of others as ideal.
A child and adolescent psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, says “People start thinking of a person who has no reality through photos and videos, and then such people start feeling anxious and anxious,”.
In a study, it was noted that young women who spend more time on Facebook, have their mental health affected badly because they compare themselves to people on social media who show their wealth and body. It was also noted that this behavior shows a mental disorder and unhealthy habits.
Photoshop and Filters
Most of the photos and videos you see while scrolling through social media are edited or photoshopped. According to a 2017 Harris poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans photoshop or filter their photos before sharing them on social media.
Jill M. Emanuel, senior director of the Mood Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute, says Photoshop and filters that edit or change images can also make people feel negative about their appearance.
Even if you are editing your photos, it may have a negative impression on your mind. According to research conducted in 2022, taking a selfie and then editing it is more dangerous than posting pictures on social media, because by applying and editing filters in images you focus on the flaws in your appearance and appearance and try to improve it.
Interestingly, posting pictures does not seem to suggest that a 2020 study found that posting selfies is related to increased self-esteem.
Negative effects on men
A study conducted in 2020 showed the same negative results in men also found in women. In this study, 1,000 Instagram posts uploaded by men were analyzed and their likes and comments section were reviewed, which showed that men who looked visibly lean and smart had more likes and comments in their posts.
The researchers concluded that these findings were potentially harmful to men’s body image. When we look at others and find faults in ourselves, this situation in human beings is called “Dysmorphia”.
