In recent days, the rise of social media has been phenomenal. People record their every move, emotion and thought on a number of platforms. One of the most used out of these has been Twitter.
Along with the use of social media, people have taken more time out of their lives to do one more thing, and that is to get fit. Health problems are on the rise due to a majorly sedentary lifestyle and people are finally realizing that how important it is to get fit and healthy. Technically, we could assume that the increasing use of social media has been a factor to this sedentary lifestyle. However, have you ever wondered how the two could possibly be linked in a positive sense? Have we ever imagined that our social media traits can ultimately be responsible for how successful we are in our fitness endeavors?
What does the research suggest?
According to new research from the Georgia Institute of Technology, there is evidence to suggest that the secret to our success in diet and exercise plans, lies in the way we use social media. The new research claims that the various words and phrases that we use can give an indication of our attitude towards our efforts in getting fit. This, in turn, can determine your failure or success in a diet plan.
How does this work?
The study by Assistant Professor Munmun De Choudhury, and her team from Georgia Institute of Technology, shows that those who post more positive quotes and sentiments on social media, particularly on Twitter, are those who have the most success when it comes to achieving their fitness goals. These are also individuals who are more social in general and are more fixed on attaining their future goals. People also follow posts and topics, which are related to health and fitness, are also far more motivated to obtain their health goals and they are also more likely to post health facts and information such as recipes on their profiles. Posting updates on one’s own fitness progress is also seen to act as motivation to aspire to further goals. The study also shows that those who have less success in their dieting goals are people who have more negative phrases and comments on social media.
“The researchers suggest that this information can be used to analyse and predict when a person is more likely to give up on their diet.”
What are these key topics and phrases?
The research team primarily used Twitter for their analyses of social media. Phrases like “Train smart like a trainer”, “win like a six time champion”, and “if you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough” were some of those which seem to create a highly positive and encouraging environment. Meanwhile those who mention stressful situations, pain and failures in their workouts and lives were less likely to succeed in their fitness aspirations.
How is this study being taken further?
The research team involved with the study hope that the results of this experiment may be involved in a vast number of health benefits. The researchers suggest that this information can be used to analyse and predict when a person is more likely to give up on their diet. This can help people to re-motivate themselves using a variety of techniques when this breaking point appears to be coming into view.
“Those who mention stressful situations, pain and failures in their workouts and lives were less likely to succeed in their fitness aspirations.”
What can we take home from this?
Maybe the next time you’re trying to achieve a fitness goal, it may help to record your successes through social media to give you further motivation to continue with your goal. It may not make your workout feel any easier, but it may just be the key to your success in sticking to your goals and aims.
Author: Rajlakshmi Sohini Mukhopadhyay
Photo sources:
-http://airsoftpal.com/
-CreativeCommons
Article sources:
–https://phys.org/news/2017-02-likelihood-dieting-success-lies-tweets.html
–https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170221150728.html
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