Clinical trial · Observational
Impact of Exposure to Images of the Idealised Physique on Body Satisfaction, Dieting Intentions and Mood in Men.
Investigation Into the Impact of Exposure to Images of the Idealised Physique on Body Satisfaction, Dieting Intentions and Mood in Men.
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Every day, people are exposed to huge amounts of media. Research has explored the impact of viewing traditional media and advertising (such as television and magazines) on how a person thinks and feels about their body (body satisfaction). However, less is known about the impact of exposure to social media on body satisfaction. It is important to consider this now, given the rise in social media use. The rise in social media use has made it easier for people to share images of an 'ideal' body, which for men is high muscularity and low body fat. Alongside this rise in the ideal body being shared on social media, there is a rise in male eating disorders. Research has already demonstrated that showing images of the 'ideal' body decreases body satisfaction. However, there has been little research in men and this research uses media from magazines. The present study will update research by using images taken from Instagram and by recruiting male participants. Participants will be asked to take part in an online survey (shared on social media) which measures initial mood, body satisfaction, self-esteem and diet and exercise intentions. It will then show participants images of men with different physiques (either muscular, overweight, slender or control images of landscapes). The measures will then be repeated to see if viewing the images had any impact
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Image | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure to images | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- label
- Men aged 18-34
- description
- Participants will be males aged 18-34. Each individual will be exposed to images of men with either a muscular, skinny or overweight physique or the control images of landscapes.
- interventionNames
- Other: Exposure to images
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- State Body Satisfaction
- timeFrame
- Through study completion. Participants are asked to rate their current body satisfaction before they view the images (after approx 5 minutes) and are asked the same questions again immediately after they view the images (after approx 10-15 minutes)
- description
- Visual Analogue Scale of body satisfaction. Each item is scored by participants between 0-100 (0 = not at all satisfied, 100 = very satisfied).
Secondary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Diet and Exercise Intentions
- timeFrame
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Male
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 34 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Any men aged 18-34 Exclusion Criteria: * Females, current or historical diagnosis of eating disorders, anyone who falls outside of age limit
References
Publications (10)
- BACKGROUNDBlond A. Impacts of exposure to images of ideal bodies on male body dissatisfaction: a review. Body Image. 2008 Sep;5(3):244-50. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.02.003. PMID 18424245
- BACKGROUNDTiggemann M, Hayden S, Brown Z, Veldhuis J. The effect of Instagram "likes" on women's social comparison and body dissatisfaction. Body Image. 2018 Sep;26:90-97. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.07.002. Epub 2018 Jul 21. PMID 30036748
- BACKGROUNDLeit RA, Gray JJ, Pope HG Jr. The media's representation of the ideal male body: a cause for muscle dysmorphia? Int J Eat Disord. 2002 Apr;31(3):334-8. doi: 10.1002/eat.10019. PMID 11920996
- BACKGROUNDMyers TA, Crowther JH. Social comparison as a predictor of body dissatisfaction: A meta-analytic review. J Abnorm Psychol. 2009 Nov;118(4):683-98. doi: 10.1037/a0016763. PMID 19899839
- BACKGROUNDCahill S, Mussap AJ. Emotional reactions following exposure to idealized bodies predict unhealthy body change attitudes and behaviors in women and men. J Psychosom Res. 2007 Jun;62(6):631-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.11.001. PMID 17540220
- BACKGROUNDArbour KP, Martin Ginis KA. Effects of exposure to muscular and hypermuscular media images on young men's muscularity dissatisfaction and body dissatisfaction. Body Image. 2006 Jun;3(2):153-61. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2006.03.004. Epub 2006 May 19. PMID 18089218
- BACKGROUNDFardouly J, Vartanian LR. Negative comparisons about one's appearance mediate the relationship between Facebook usage and body image concerns. Body Image. 2015 Jan;12:82-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.10.004. Epub 2014 Nov 17. PMID 25462886
- BACKGROUNDCafri G, Thompson JK, Ricciardelli L, McCabe M, Smolak L, Yesalis C. Pursuit of the muscular ideal: Physical and psychological consequences and putative risk factors. Clin Psychol Rev. 2005 Feb;25(2):215-39. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2004.09.003. Epub 2004 Dec 30.