No, You’re Not Fat — Facebook Just Makes You Think You Are [STUDY]

Struggling with body weight issues? Facebook may be partially to blame, a new study suggests.

A new study conducted by The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore found that social media is negatively impacting how people view body size.

The study — which was conducted among 600 Facebook users ages 16 to 40 — revealed that 51% of participants said that looking at photos of themselves and others on the site makes them more feel more self-conscious about their body image.

“When people look at pictures of themselves and others on Facebook, it heightens their dissatisfaction with their body image,” Steve Crawford, associate director at The Center for Eating Disorders, told Mashable. “Our culture is so weight obsessed, and Facebook isn’t helping. In fact, it’s making people feel fat.”

Crawford said the center’s findings revealed that 75% of people believe they need to lose weight.

“The site is making it easy for people to put pictures up of them online, so people can comment on them. Someone might note how thin someone looks, but it just reinforces the notion that the thinner you are, the better you look.”

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Meanwhile, 51% also said they spend time comparing their own lives to others based on the status updates they read and the pictures they see. About 32% said they felt sad when comparing their profiles to others on the site.

“Facebook is a great way to maintain contact with family and friends, but it should help you feel good about the relationships you have, not sad,” Crawford added.

Facebook is also influencing the way people feel attending social events. About 44% said they are self-conscious while out with friends because pictures might end up online, and 43% said they will avoid taking a picture if they don’t feel they look their best.

“If Facebook is augmenting your body dissatisfaction, you need to rethink your use of the site and even consider logging off for a while to regroup,” Crawford said.