= 6,111) addresses this question by synthesizing the growing body of causal evidence published between 2015 and 2023. The results paint a dire image, revealing that exposure to fitspiration among young adults leads to increased social comparisons and unhealthy dieting and exercise motivations, as well as negatively influencing self-esteem, body image, appearance satisfaction, and affect. These findings set the agenda for future research, offering empirical evidence regarding a widespread, albeit undertheorized, feature of growing up in today's social media landscape.
Gruest et al. (Sun,) studied this question.