This research was included in the most recent issue of the "American Journal of Psychology"
Mathew Gendle, director of Project Pericles and professor of psychology, and alum Georgia Daniel ’24 have published research appearing in the most recent issue of the “American Journal of Psychology.”
Titled “Relationships Between Orthorexia, Exercise Dependency, Body Image, and Decision-Making in University Undergraduates”, this manuscript discusses research that provides two significant new conclusions.
First, individuals self-reporting traits linked to orthorexia nervosa, body dysmorphia and/or exercise dependency do not demonstrate altered decision-making strategies like those associated with substance use disorders. This is a critical finding that calls into question the common, everyday use of terms like “exercise addiction” and the equivalence that is frequently implied between excessive exercise behaviors and substance dependencies.
Second, heightened levels of fitness-related social media engagement are significantly correlated with increased behaviors related to exercise dependence and body dysmorphia. However, the cause-and-effect relationship between these variables remains unknown. Does engagement with certain types of social media drive behaviors linked to exercise dependence and body dysmorphia, or are individuals who engage in these behaviors drawn to social media content that mirrors what they are already experiencing? Future research will need to directly assess this question.
While at Elon, Daniel was an Elon College Fellow. She is currently completing a Master of Social Work at UNC-Chapel Hill.