Abstract:

Enhanced food reward responses and the lure of food cues in the environment may be important contributors to the obesity epidemic. Social media exposure has been found to be a risk factor for overeating, but the underlying mechanisms of influence have not been explored. Research analyses suggest that the seemingly innocuous “likes” and comment exchanges related to delicious food on social media can set off a chain reaction in the brain, triggering a reward response. This response might disrupt the normal regulatory mechanisms of our eating patterns and could well be the linchpin of the dietary disorders that often accompany heavy social media use.

Most of the previous attempts at intervention have centered around strategies such as attempting to dampen the food reward response. This could involve dietary restrictions that limit the intake of highly palatable foods or the use of medications that aim to reduce the brain's sensitivity to food rewards. Alternatively, efforts have been made to enhance the inhibitory control ability, which requires individuals to exercise self-restraint when faced with food temptations. But these methods demand an extraordinary amount of willpower. For example, asking someone to resist the urge to eat a favorite dessert after seeing it repeatedly on social media is a Herculean task. Many individuals find it nearly impossible to maintain such control over the long term, leading to a cycle of failed attempts and frustration.

Based on the food reward and sociocultural theories, and using the well-observed phenomenon that social media use is linked to dietary disorders as a springboard, this study zeroes in on the influence mechanism and intervention strategies of food social media interaction on the food reward processing of obese individuals.

In the first part of the study, the spotlight is on determining whether social media interaction has any bearing on the food reward processing of obese individuals. To achieve this, the study aims to peel back the layers and reveal the underlying influence mechanism from a theoretical standpoint. Given the unique capabilities of ERP (Event-Related Potentials) in precisely measuring the timing of neural activities and fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) in mapping the spatial aspects of neural pathways, both techniques are harnessed. Study One utilizes the ERP technique to meticulously explore, from the dimension of time course, how social media “likes” and comments impact the neuroelectrophysiological activities associated with food reward in obese individuals. It looks at how quickly and intensely the brain responds to such stimuli. Study Two employs the fMRI technique to separate the anticipation (“wanting”) and acquisition (“liking”) of food through the incentive delay task. By carefully distinguishing the time course of reward processing, it can then examine, from the spatial pathways dimension, how social media “likes” and comments affect the neural circuitry and connections involved in food reward in obese individuals.

In the second part, the main thrust is on devising ways to help obese individuals foster healthy eating behaviors via social media platforms. This is accomplished by training social media interaction behaviors. Study Three uses the ERP technique to dig deeper into the impact of such training and comments on the neuroelectrophysiological activities related to the reward of healthy food in obese individuals. It aims to understand if and how the brain can be rewired to respond more favorably to healthy options. Study Four employs the fMRI technique to comprehensively assess the impact on the neural mechanism of healthy food reward, looking at changes in brain regions and their functional connectivity.

Previously, the reward mechanisms of “wanting” and “liking” for food among obese individuals have been a subject of much speculation and inconsistent findings. This research breaks new ground by delving into these two psychological processes from the novel vantage point of social media interaction. It crafts simulated social media interaction and behavior training tasks. These innovative efforts not only expand the frontiers of the food reward theory but also offer novel directions and solid theoretical underpinnings for obesity intervention and the cultivation of a more health-conscious social media environment. Concurrently, it also formulates intervention strategies for enhancing the public cultural service system and promoting healthy eating, which could potentially be a game-changer in the global battle against obesity.

Key words: social network, network behavior, food reward, obesity, social media interaction