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Looking in the digital mirror: Researchers introduce concept of 'social self-comparison'

It started with a TikTok trend. Makenzie Schroeder, a graduate student in the University of Missouri's College of Arts and Science, noticed people were posting filtered photos of themselves looking slimmer, often captioned with phrases such as "my motivation." These weren't photos of celebrities or influencers; rather, people were posting filtered selfies, shared as ideal versions of themselves.

That made Schroeder wonder: What happens when people stop comparing themselves to others online and start comparing themselves to their own filtered photos?

To find out, Schroeder partnered with Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, professor and chair of Mizzou's Department of Communication, to study what the researchers call "social self-comparison"—the process of comparing one's own appearance to digitally altered selfies.

Schroeder and Behm-Morawitz ran an online experiment with participants ranging from 19 to 66 years old. People were randomly placed into one of three groups: One group used a slimming filter on their own selfies, another group watched someone else use a slimming filter, and a third group used a simple color filter that didn't alter their bodies.

Afterward, everyone answered questions about how they felt about their bodies and their attitudes toward other people's bodies. Those who used slimming filters reported a stronger desire to lose weight, greater focus on their body's appearance and increased negativity toward people with larger bodies.

"Filters that make someone look slimmer create what many perceive to be a more perfect version of themselves that's easy to reach with just a few clicks," Schroeder said. "That makes the comparison feel very personal and even more powerful than when seeing an Instagram model, for example."

Even though the study looked at short-term effects, Schroeder believes these filters could have long-term impacts on how people view themselves and others.

"Not all filters are bad," she said. "But we need to be aware of how they affect our self-image, especially as they become more advanced and widely used."

Behm-Morawitz added that people should try to be more mindful about how they use social media.

"We can't stop others from making comments about our bodies, but we can think more carefully about how we present ourselves online," she said. "Being real is sometimes the healthiest option."

The study, "Digitally curated beauty: The impact of slimming beauty filters on body image, weight loss desire, self-objectification, and anti-fat attitudes," was in Computers in Human Behavior.