Social media usage and body appreciation : A quantitative cross-sectional study among Swedish adults

Among Swedish adults, 50% are active on social media daily. Regarding body image, 50% of Swedish adolescents are happy with their weight, although no statistics are available among Swedish adults. Time spent on social media is related to body dissatisfaction, and viewing of body positive content increases body appreciation. Applying a salutogenic approach, a theoretical framework of sense of coherence was used in this study. The aim was to examine: if there is a relationship between social media usage and body appreciation in Swedish adults; if there are gender differences; whether this potential relationship is evident after controlling for age, gender, physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, and viewing of body positive content. A quantitative method was used. Data from 153 participants was collected using questionnaires, and analysed using correlation analyses and multiple regression analyses. The results revealed that there was no relationship between general social media usage and body appreciation – however, the less time spent on social media, the better body appreciation participants had. This relationship was only evident among women. The relationship was still observed after controlling for confounding. These findings were in line with some previous findings. Women’s body appreciation could possibly favour from decreased time spent on social media