Understanding and Reducing Appearance Anxiety for Social Media Users: A Study Using Ecological Momentary Assessment and Ecological Momentary Intervention

Appearance anxiety for social media users (AASMU) is emotional distress linked to social media use (SMU), negatively affecting mental and physical health. However, the dynamic relationship between AASMU and SMU, and effective interventions, are poorly understood. Study 1 used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) with 206 participants completing daily surveys for 20 days. Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling (DSEM) revealed a significant autoregressive effect of AASMU and a positive relationship between AASMU and SMU. A healthier lifestyle moderated this relationship, providing resilience against SMU’s negative effects. Study 2 utilized an Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) with 200 participants, where the intervention group read self-compassion statements daily. Results showed a significant reduction in both the mean level and intra-individual variability of AASMU in the intervention group. Findings suggest a bidirectional relationship between AASMU and SMU, with self-compassion-based EMI as an effective approach to reducing AASMU.