Exploring the Effect of Body Appreciation on the Relationship between Social Networking Site Usage and Body Dissatisfaction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of body appreciation on the relationship between social networking site usage and body dissatisfaction. An online questionnaire was used completed by 404 participants. A structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses. The results demonstrated that social networking site usage is positively related to body dissatisfaction. However, this relationship is moderated by body appreciation, such that the effect of social appearance comparison on body dissatisfaction can be reduced as individuals experience more body appreciation.