Influence of False Self-Presentation on Mental Health and Deleting Behavior on Instagram: The Mediating Role of Perceived Popularity

The present study explored motivations (need for approval, impression management) for lying self-presentation on Instagram as well as the mental and behavioral outcomes (depression, perceived popularity, deleting behavior on Instagram) of this presentation. We also examined the differential mediational roles of perceived popularity in accounting for the association between lying self-presentation and depression. Our results showed that individuals with a strong need for approval reported higher levels of lying self-presentation. The results also revealed that lying self-presentation positively influenced depression, perceived popularity and deleting behaviors. Furthermore, we found that even if lying self-presentation increased depression, perceived popularity served as a psychological buffer against depression.

When Empathy Leads to Passive Bystanding or Defending of the Victim in a Bullying Situation: Interaction With the Perceived Popularity of the Bully

The interactions between individual factors (i.e., cognitive empathy, affective empathy) and situational factors (i.e., perceived popularity of a bully) in predicting passive bystanding or defending of the victim in a bullying situation were examined. A total of 522 Korean secondary school students answered survey questions and responded to vignettes depicting bullying scenarios that included the different popularity statuses of the bully. The results revealed that high affective empathy positively predicted defending negatively predicted passive bystanding regardless of the perceived popularity of the bully. However, when bystanders had low affective empathy and high cognitive empathy, as the perceived popularity of the bully increased, their intention to remain passive also increased but their intention to defend the victim decreased.

Impact of altering the available food options on selection: potential mediation by social norms

Background: Increasing the availability of lower energy foods increases their selection. The current studies examine the extent to which this effect could be mediated by social norms – assessed by perceived popularity of foods – which may be implied by their relative availability. Methods: Study 1 (Online): 2340 UK adults estimated the perceived popularity of lower energy products. For each of eight trials, participants were randomised to one of six groups (between-subjects 3x2) to see photos of cafeteria shelves varying in the availability of lower energy options (1/4 lower energy; 1/2 lower energy; 3/4 lower energy) and fullness of shelves (fuller; emptier).Study 2 (Laboratory): 139 English adults were asked to select a snack. Participants were randomised to select from trays varying in the availability of the lower energy option (1/3 lower energy; 2/3 lower energy) and fullness of tray (fuller; emptier). Results: Study 1: Evidence for an interaction was found, such that when shelves were full, a higher proportion of lower energy options led to greater perceived popularity of lower energy products (1/4 lower energy: 40.9% (95%CIs: 40.1,41.8); 3/4 lower energy: 47.2% (46.3,48.0)), whereas when shelves were emptier, a higher proportion of lower energy options led to lower perceived popularity (1/4 lower energy: 48.4% (47.5,49.2); 3/4 lower energy: 39.2% (38.3,40.0)).Study 2: When the tray was fuller, participants were more likely – albeit non-significantly (main effects: p=0.05; interactions: p=0.07) – to select a lower energy snack when 2/3 of the available snacks were lower energy (35.7% (18.5,52.9)) than when 1/3 were lower energy (15.4% (4.2,26.5)). For emptier trays, lower energy selections decreased as the relative availability of lower energy snacks increased (1/3 lower energy snacks: 36.0% (17.9,54.1); 2/3 lower energy snacks: 27.8% (13.9,41.7)). Conclusions:These studies provide novel evidence that social norms may mediate the impact of availability on food selection. In addition, they suggest that the effect of availability may vary in different contexts, moderated by display layout through its impact on perceived product popularity. Trial registration. ISRCTN: ISRCTN10512908; 31/01/2020

The effectiveness of safe surfing, an anti-cyberbullying intervention program in reducing online and offline bullying and improving perceived popularity and self-esteem

Schools have been fighting cyberbullying through intervention programs, yet few interventions have been empirically evaluated. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a Safe Surfing anti-cyberbullying intervention program that is based on the theory of planned behavior in reducing bullying online and offline and improving student-perceived popularity and self-esteem. It was hypothesized that from pre- to post-intervention online and offline bullying rates will decrease; students’ negative perception of popularity will decrease; students’ self-esteem will increase, and; in classrooms where there has been a greater decrease in online and offline bullying following the intervention there will be a greater improvement in students’ negative perception of popularity and self-esteem. Data were collected from 1,550 students (53% males) in 3rd to 11th grades from 69 classes in 19 primary (68%), middle and high (32%) public schools in Israel. The students answered online questionnaires pre- and post-intervention. Results indicated a significant decrease in bullying online and offline post-intervention. Also, a significant improvement in perceived popularity and self-esteem was obtained among primary school students. The decrease in bullying online and offline was significantly associated with an improvement in perceived popularity and self-esteem. The study provides support for the positive role that school-based interventions against cyberbullying can have, and demonstrates that schools can make a difference in the way their students consume social networks. The findings also contribute to the debate about the co-occurrence between traditional bullying and cyberbullying. The findings may encourage school principals to approach peer victimization with a broader view and to develop intervention programs that capture students’ social experiences more holistically.

Grit and peer relationships in early adolescence: A person-centered approach

Although a burgeoning body of research has illustrated the association of grit with academic and psychosocial functioning in adolescence, little is known about how adolescents with differing grit profiles may diverge in regard to peer relationships (i.e., perceived popularity and friendships). Guided by the dynamic interactionism framework, the current study, using a person-centered approach, explores grit profiles of Chinese early adolescents and examines whether these profiles exhibit mean differences in perceived popularity and friendships. A total of 1,150 early adolescents aged from 10 years to 13 years (53.4% male) were involved in this study; participants were asked to complete self-report questionnaires concerning grit and self-perception of friendships and complete peer nominations within each classroom in terms of perceived popularity. A latent profile analysis revealed five grit profiles based on two facets of grit (i.e., perseverance and consistency). Moreover, multivariate analysis of covariance—controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status—showed that early adolescents who scored higher on both perseverance and consistency were nominated as more popular individuals than those with low-to-moderate perseverance and low consistency. In contrast, perseverance was more essential than consistency in determining greater self-perception of friendships. To summarize, the current study suggests that both perseverance and consistency are pivotal in terms of perceived popularity, whereas perseverance is critical in regard to the self-perception of friendships.

Engagement norms buffer academic risks associated with peer rejection in middle school

The current study examined school variations in academic engagement norms and whether such norms affect those most susceptible to peer influence. We presumed that behaviors associated with perceived popularity make norms salient and are most likely to affect socially marginalized (rejected) youth. Focusing on differences across 26 middle schools, the main aim was to test whether academic engagement norms moderate the association between peer rejection and subsequent academic difficulties. The U.S. public school sample included 5,991 youth (52% girls): 32% Latino/a, 20% White, 14% East/Southeast Asian, 12% African American, and 22% from other specific ethnic groups. Multilevel models were used to examine whether engagement norms moderated the association between sixth-grade peer rejection and changes in grade point average (GPA) and academic engagement across middle school (i.e., from sixth to eighth grade). Consistent with our contextual moderator hypothesis, the association between peer rejection and academic engagement was attenuated—and in the case of GPA eliminated—in schools where higher engagement was a salient norm. The study findings suggest that the behaviors of popular peers affect those on social margins and that academic difficulties are not inevitable for rejected youth.