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, little is known about the dynamic relationship between AASMU and SMU, and effective interventions. Study 1 used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) with 206 participants completing daily surveys for 20 days. Dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM) revealed that AASMU tended to persist from 1 day to the next (β = 1.45) and that higher levels of AASMU and SMU often occurred together on the same day (β = 2.57). A higher level of self-compassion (SC) or a healthier lifestyle moderated this relationship, providing resilience against SMU's negative effects (β = -0.40 or -0.41). Study 2 utilized an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) with 200 participants, where the intervention group read SC statements daily. Results showed a significant reduction in both the mean level (β = -0.05) and intra-individual variability of AASMU in the intervention group (β = -0.11), suggesting SC-based EMI is an effective approach to reducing AASMU.