Alexander SpatariGetty Images
- According to a new study published in the journal Appetite, you’re more likely to follow whichever food habits you see more often on social media.
- If the study participants’ Facebook friends posted more about junk food, the participants were likely to consume junk food more often.
- If the study participants’ Facebook friends posted healthier foods, the participants were likely to consume healthy foods more often.
Your social media feed is filled with friends who seem to make sugar into its own food group. Or maybe they’re on the opposite end of the spectrum, showcasing their meal-prep skills with an almost endless array of grilled chicken breasts, steamed broccoli, and fruit salad. Either way, you’re more likely to follow whichever food habits you see more often on the ’gram, according to new research.
Published in the journal Appetite, the study examines whether Facebook users’ eating habits and preferences predicted participants’ own food consumption. Researchers recruited 369 college students and asked them to report their perceptions of how much people in their Facebook feeds were eating fruit, vegetables, energy-dense snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Then they were asked to note their own consumption habits.
When these were cross-referenced, it showed that the study participants’ perception of their Facebook friends’ food consumption habits significantly predicted the participants’ habits as well. Those who believed their social circles “approved” of junk food reported eating more themselves, while those who thought their friends ate more fruits and vegetables and skipped sugary beverages also adopted those habits.
Not only should these findings support some self-reflection when it comes to what you’re eating, but they should also prompt some thought about how we’re affecting others, according to study coauthor Lily Hawkins, a health psychology Ph.D. candidate at Aston University in Birmingham, England.
“The main message here is that social media may be influencing our eating habits more than we think,” Hawkins told Bicycling. “Because of that, we may want to think about what we are posting online, since this could be influencing other social media users’ food choices.”
[Find 52 weeks of tips and motivation, with space to fill in your mileage and favorite routes, with the Bicycling Training Journal.]
These findings are similar to previous research, particularly on young adults, that found social media could play a pivotal role in consumption patterns.
“Perhaps posting more balanced and healthier choices, rather than our indulgences, can be helpful for nudging others to eat healthier, too,” Hawkins said.
That means all that meal prepping and broccoli steaming might be more than a way for you to stay on track with your healthy eating goals—it could serve as a boost for your friends as well.
