Perceptions of Fitspiration Posts on Social Media and Subjective Wellbeing Indicators Among College Students: The Potential Roles of Social Comparison Orientation and Regulatory Focus (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Information shared via social media influences college students’ self- perceptions and behavior, particularly fitspiration posts (i.e., images of healthy food, people exercising, or fitness quotations). Mixed findings currently exist regarding the mental health implications of fitspiration and its potential to motivate healthy behavior. Individual differences such as social comparison orientation and regulatory focus might aid in determining for whom fitspiration use may be helpful versus harmful, though these characteristics have received little attention in relation to students’ fitspiration perceptions. OBJECTIVE This cross-sectional study examined relations between students’ fitspiration use (i.e., intentional vs. unintentional exposure while using social media), response tendencies (i.e., feelings about the self and motivation for exercise on average), social comparison orientation, and regulatory focus. METHODS Participants (n=336 college students, 70% women) completed an electronic survey in which they self-reported the frequency of their social media use, exposure to fitspiration, typical feelings in response to fitspiration, and typical motivation for physical activity after viewing fitspiration posts. They also completed validated self-report measures of social comparison orientation and regulatory focus. RESULTS College students reported frequent exposure to fitspiration posts on social media, and they experienced negative feelings in response to these posts more often than positive feelings. Average motivation for physical activity was rated as “some of the time”. However, students who reported more negative feelings on average after viewing fitspiration also reported greater motivation for exercise after exposure. Relations between the frequency of intentional fitspiration use and motivation for physical activity after viewing fitspiration posts was moderated by social comparison orientation (b = -0.01, P = 0.03) but not by regulatory focus (b = -0.002, P = 0.67). CONCLUSIONS Negative feelings about the self may be motivating for students with weak social comparison orientation, as fitspiration may highlight a discrepancy between one’s real and ideal self that do not prompt dejection or disengagement. In contrast, negative feelings for prevention-focused students might not be as motivating because there are no salient negative outcomes to avoid. Further research into these relations is warranted, and could inform future efforts to promote student health and wellbeing during college.