Investigation of the relationship between body attitude and loneliness,
moderated by dating app usage
Annemarie van Agteren
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Course: Research Methods II
Group members: Monika Smetkowska, Daria Zhelokhovtseva
Tutor: Eleonora Samartzi
Tutor group: 11
Student number: 2770767
Word count:
Filing date: 28/05/204
, Abstract
Previous studies have researched the relation between body attitude and loneliness,
however an up and coming new variable has not been considered in this relationship yet:
usage of dating apps. The research question of the present study is: "Does body attitude
correlate with loneliness, and is this relationship moderated by the usage of dating apps?", and
this focusses specifically on women. 40 participants filled out self-report questionnaires
concerning their use of dating apps, questions of the Body Attitude Test, and the UCLA
Loneliness Scale. An ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. Here we show the main results
of our study: a significant effect of body attitude on loneliness was found. However, contrary
to our second hypothesis, dating-app usage did not significantly impact loneliness, but this
can be due to limitations in our study. An immediate implication of this study is awareness for
the influence a negative self-image can have on the experience of feelings of loneliness.
Introduction
Humans are an incredibly social species. Even our brains are designed in a way to
serve the complex purpose of tracking and maintaining social relationships. Human wellbeing
depends strongly on the quality of our social life (Helliwell & Putnam, 2004). It is then
understandable that rising levels of loneliness are a cause of concern. In a world where more
and more interactions happen “online,” loneliness is a common issue, influenced by a
multitude of sociocultural factors. Among these, body perception plays a significant role in
shaping individuals' feelings of isolation. This study aims to examine the relationship between
body satisfaction, often referred to in the literature as body appreciation or attitude towards
one's physical appearance (Heider et al., 2018), and loneliness, which is frequently linked to
mental health and body image concerns (Tiwari, 2013). Both constructs will be assessed
through self-report questionnaires, detailed further in the methods section.
The central research question is: "Does body attitude correlate with loneliness, and is
this relationship moderated by the usage of dating apps?" To address this question, two
hypotheses will be tested: "Higher scores on body attitude correlate with higher scores on
loneliness" and "This relationship is stronger among dating app users compared to non-users."
Existing literature provides a good foundation for these hypotheses. For instance,
Zonovyeva et al. (2016) found that adolescents with high body dissatisfaction often perceived
moderated by dating app usage
Annemarie van Agteren
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Course: Research Methods II
Group members: Monika Smetkowska, Daria Zhelokhovtseva
Tutor: Eleonora Samartzi
Tutor group: 11
Student number: 2770767
Word count:
Filing date: 28/05/204
, Abstract
Previous studies have researched the relation between body attitude and loneliness,
however an up and coming new variable has not been considered in this relationship yet:
usage of dating apps. The research question of the present study is: "Does body attitude
correlate with loneliness, and is this relationship moderated by the usage of dating apps?", and
this focusses specifically on women. 40 participants filled out self-report questionnaires
concerning their use of dating apps, questions of the Body Attitude Test, and the UCLA
Loneliness Scale. An ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. Here we show the main results
of our study: a significant effect of body attitude on loneliness was found. However, contrary
to our second hypothesis, dating-app usage did not significantly impact loneliness, but this
can be due to limitations in our study. An immediate implication of this study is awareness for
the influence a negative self-image can have on the experience of feelings of loneliness.
Introduction
Humans are an incredibly social species. Even our brains are designed in a way to
serve the complex purpose of tracking and maintaining social relationships. Human wellbeing
depends strongly on the quality of our social life (Helliwell & Putnam, 2004). It is then
understandable that rising levels of loneliness are a cause of concern. In a world where more
and more interactions happen “online,” loneliness is a common issue, influenced by a
multitude of sociocultural factors. Among these, body perception plays a significant role in
shaping individuals' feelings of isolation. This study aims to examine the relationship between
body satisfaction, often referred to in the literature as body appreciation or attitude towards
one's physical appearance (Heider et al., 2018), and loneliness, which is frequently linked to
mental health and body image concerns (Tiwari, 2013). Both constructs will be assessed
through self-report questionnaires, detailed further in the methods section.
The central research question is: "Does body attitude correlate with loneliness, and is
this relationship moderated by the usage of dating apps?" To address this question, two
hypotheses will be tested: "Higher scores on body attitude correlate with higher scores on
loneliness" and "This relationship is stronger among dating app users compared to non-users."
Existing literature provides a good foundation for these hypotheses. For instance,
Zonovyeva et al. (2016) found that adolescents with high body dissatisfaction often perceived
