Cross-environmental compensatory pathways: how thin-ideal internalization and social media comparison mediate normative pressures and restrained eating

Abstract The rising prevalence of restrained eating among Chinese female university students parallels the global surge in obesity, positioning China, once among the world’s slimmest nations, as a critical context for understanding sociocultural patterns in eating behaviors. This study advanced social comparison theory by proposing a cross-environmental compensatory pathway, in which offline pressures were associated with individuals seeking validation through online comparisons, a pattern that coincides with higher levels of restrained eating. Data from 613 female college students revealed that social media pressure and peer pressure were significantly associated with thin-ideal internalization, which in turn was associated with higher levels of social media comparison and restrained eating. Notably, family pressure, while directly increasing restrained eating, does not trigger internalization, reflecting cultural nuances where familial expectations are often perceived as expressions of “care” in the Chinese context. By bridging physical and digital realms, this research extended social comparison as a transdiagnostic process.