Instagram is a social networking site where people tend to showcase the most positive aspects of their lives. However, this can lead to upward social comparison, where individuals compare themselves to someone they think is better than themself. This, in turn, can lead to negative emotions, particularly about oneself. Mindfulness is one simple practice researchers consider when it comes to reducing the impact of social media. The current study compared a thin-idealized feed featuring twenty images of women with thin body types to a nature-based control feed. We hypothesized that a one-shot mindfulness meditation would reduce social comparison or reduce the negative impacts of social comparison. Following the meditation and viewing a mock feed, participants took surveys regarding social comparison and affect. While it was true that the thin-idealized feed induced higher levels of negative affect relative to the control, this relationship did not differ significantly between the mindfulness and control condition. Mindfulness also did not reduce social comparison overall or in the thin-idealized condition. This indicates that a brief mindfulness meditation is not adequate to make an impact on social comparison or its effects. Further research should be conducted to see if more in-depth mindfulness practices have an impact.
Lauren Thornton (Sat,) studied this question.