Master Annotated Bibliography

Bessenoff, G. R. (2006). Can the media affect us? Social comparison, self-discrepancy, and

the thin ideal. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30(3), 239-251. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2006.00292.x

The exposure to the ideal body size of a woman can cause one to feel inferior which can lead to depression, negative mood, poor self-image, and body dissatisfaction. It is hypothesized that women with higher levels of self-discrepancy in regards to body image are more likely to compare themselves to other women, which in turn, can lead to maladaptive behaviors. This study contains multiple hypotheses. First off, people with self-discrepancy issues who are exposed to thin-ideal advertisements/media will experience greater negativity towards themselves. Next, such individuals will be more likely to compare themselves to others which will increase their body dissatisfaction and lowered self-esteem. Lastly, from such exposure to thin-ideal advertisements will increase the individual’s risk to self-harm due to this comparison. Participants were asked to take a survey to measure body image, and provided with several pictures of thin-ideal stimuli. They were asked to assess their mood, self-esteem, and were asked an automatic thoughts questionnaire which helped determine depression-relation cognitions. They were also given a questionnaire that assessed their dietary habits, especially focusing in on eating disorders. This proved all of their hypotheses true, women experienced greater body dissatisfaction.

Fardouly, J., Vartanian. L. R. (2014). Negative comparisons about one’s appearance

mediate the relationship between Facebook usage and body image concerns. Body

Image, 12, 82-88. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.10.004

In this study, 227 female, first-year psychology majors where asked two questions about how much time they would typically spend checking/refreshing their Facebook account and about how long do you spend on Facebook. In this online survey, the participants were asked questions like do you compare yourself to others and specified different target groups in order to receive a gauge on who these women were comparing themselves to. The meditation analysis concluded two correlations with time spent on Facebook and body dissatisfaction and the desire to be thin. Participants reported comparing themselves towards mutual friends or distant peers just as often as close friends, models, and celebrities. However, the highest correlation to poor body image stemmed from celebrities.

Holland, G., Tiggemann, M. (2015) A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sits on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image, 17,

100- 110. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008

This article studied many experiments and correlational research done by others. These authors tied together that the more time one would spend on social networking sites (SNS) like Myspace and Facebook, it increased surveillance of body image and the need to fit the “thin” body type. They studied a positive correlation between the constantly checking one’s Facebook and distorted eating habits like anorexia and bulimia. They also found a correlation to the more “Facebook friends” one would have, the more satisfaction of personal views. One of their sources included those who felt more positively towards Facebook were also more appearance oriented. People who wrote statuses with negative feedback were more likely to report body shape, eating habits, and weight concerns.

Tiggemann. M., Zaccardo. M., (2015). “Exercise to be fit, not skinny”: the effect of

fitspiration imagery on women’s body image. Body Image, 15, 61-67. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.06.003

Since social media and social networking sites are the most persistent force in most people’s lives, there is an ongoing process of social comparison. The theory behind social comparison claims that women judge their own appearance by comparing their own looks, body shape, and features to cultural ideas set by the media. However, it is also stated that women will find more dissatisfaction with oneself if they are shown pictures of “prettier” or “thinner” peers, rather than those of celebrities and models. A popular trend that has risen is that called “fitspiration” where images are posted to promote a healthy, self-loving atmosphere, rather than weight loss and promoting eating disorders in order to look super model thin. They put this to the test in an experiment where they showed 130 undergraduate girls pictures of fitspiration images and vacation/destination photos. They hypothesized that there will be body dissatisfaction when looking at the pictures. This proved true that it showed negative mood and self-esteem.

Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Okdie, B. M., Eckles, K., & Franz, B. (2015). Who compares and despairs? The effect of social comparison orientation on social media use and its outcomes. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 249-256. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.06.026

Two studies were taken during this correlational research in regards to social comparisons. Individuals who actively participate in social comparisons have a heightened sense of awareness for others and more inclined to be uncertain and unstable in decision making and self-concepts. The first study was a survey, completed by college students, who were asked about their social comparison habits and their attitudes on social media along with their habits. They surveyed about Facebook use, because it was the most popular form of social media. Their hypothesis was supported in that people who, by habit, compare themselves to others using social media, are more inclined to engage in heavier Facebook use. In the second study they pulled a new sample from an introductory psychology class, in which participants came to a lab and answered questions about how often they used Facebook and to what extent did psychological consequences had impacted them. The same correlation occurred in this sample as did the survey.

Want, S. C., Botres, A., Vahedi, Z., & Middleton, J. A. (2015). On the cognitive

(in)efficiency of social comparisons with media images. Sex Roles, 73(11-12), 519-532. doi:10.1007/s11199-015-0538-1

In this study, they are testing how society’s idea of beauty translates cognitively in an individual. An individual’s mental process is automatic when it comes to social comparison which could lead to a multitude of things. For example, a person can be unaware of the process and it is indeed unintentional. Once the automatic process begins, it is uncontrollable and it is effective in using very few cognitive resources to portray dissatisfaction. Bottom line, people are comparing themselves to others subconsciously and regularly. In this experiment, participants were exposed to pictures of people who fit society’s idea of beautiful while they were not cognitively busy. They hypothesized that there will be an increase of negative mood and a poorer self-evaluation.