Survey study reveals in-person body talk impacts body satisfaction more than online posts among adults, indicating direct social interactions remain primary drivers of body image.
Key Points
To examine differences in fat talk, muscle talk, and positive body talk across in-person and online contexts and between genders, and to evaluate their association with body satisfaction.
Conducted an online survey of 605 participants.
Collected self-report measures assessing body satisfaction alongside frequencies of fat talk, muscle talk, and positive body talk made during in-person conversations and on social media.
Participants engaged in body talk significantly more often in person than online, and in-person body talk was more predictive of body satisfaction than online posts.
In face-to-face interactions, women reported more fat talk and less positive body talk than men, whereas men reported posting more fat talk, muscle talk, and positive body talk online than women.
A positive relationship linked in-person and online body talk frequency, with the association demonstrating greater strength among men than women.