The relationship between social networking sites body talk and cosmetic surgery intention of college students: the chain mediating effect of body surveillance and appearance anxiety and the gender differences

Although existing studies have explored the impact of social networking sites body talk on negative emotions, the mechanism underlying its influence on college students' behavioral tendency toward cosmetic surgery intentions remains unclear. Therefore, this study proposes research hypotheses to explore the mechanism of action between variables through the similar trends in the correlation between scale survey results and keyword frequencies on real social media. A mixed-methods design was adopted. A survey was conducted among 512 students using the Social Networking Sites(SNS) Body Talk Scale, the Body Surveillance Subscale of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale, the Appearance Anxiety Scale, and the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale. Additionally, 1,139 pieces of actual social media data were extracted to analyze correlations and emotional tendencies, serving as supplementary evidence for the variable relationship model. (1) SNS body talk has both a direct positive impact on college students' cosmetic surgery intentions (β = 0.807, P < 0.001, 95% CI [0.425, 1.189]) and an indirect impact. (2) The indirect impact is achieved through two significant paths: first, a chain mediating path of "SNS body talk → body surveillance → appearance anxiety → cosmetic surgery intentions" (standardized indirect effect, SIE = 0.186, 95% CI [0.100, 0.294]); second, an independent mediating path of "SNS body talk → appearance anxiety → cosmetic surgery intentions" (SIE = 0.160, 95% CI [0.064, 0.284]). In contrast, the path "SNS body talk → body surveillance → cosmetic surgery intentions" is not statistically significant (SIE = 0.105, 95% CI [-0.076, 0.297]). (3) Gender plays a moderating role in the direct path from SNS body talk to cosmetic surgery intentions (β = 1.063, P < 0.05, 95% CI [0.182, 1.945]). SNS body talk affects college students’ cosmetic surgery intentions through the serial mediation of body surveillance and appearance anxiety, and gender moderates its direct effect. This study clarifies the complex psychological mechanism between body-related interactions on social media and cosmetic surgery intentions, providing empirical evidence for subsequent research on body image and aesthetic behavior.