Facebook Makes You Feel Fat, Study Says

Between making you feel fat, ugly, depressed and like everyone else is sipping Pina Coladas at a Sandals resort with someone who loves them (besides you), what can’t Facebook do to decimate a person’s self-esteem and self worth?

A new study out of the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt surveyed about 600 Facebook users, and found that among the insecurities worsened by using Facebook, making one feel like a heifer was a common pitfall- in both men and women. In fact, while you might assume women tend to be harsher on themselves than their male counterparts, females are less likely to shame their own bodies on the social network.

75% of the women surveyed said they wanted to lose weight versus 58% of men, but 40% of men versus 20% of women surveyed had posted about that inclination. The center’s associate director Stephen Crawford commented:

“People are now constantly aware of their appearance, thanks to Facebook… A common reaction is, ‘I need to be thinner’ And it’s that kind of thinking that can lead to hazardous dieting.”

It is at this point I would like to add that the center should examine my friend Katie’s habit of tagging us in pictures where I look like a blushing walrus and she looks like Bo Derek running on the beach and its effect on Facebook user(s). Do you find that Facebook impacts your self image?

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Tags: Facebook, Facebook Studies

About the Author

Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.