The way you make me feel: a network analysis of social ties that could exacerbate compulsive exercise among a sample of sorority women

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess factors related to sorority women connecting with people who exacerbate feelings of exercise guilt and body dissatisfaction (BD), both of which preclude compulsive exercise. Design/methodology/approach In all, 207 sorority women (egos) completed online surveys measuring physical activity, BD, compulsive exercise and egocentric networks (n = 1,105 social ties/alters). Two random coefficient multilevel models assessed factors related to an ego connecting to someone who makes her feel: guilty about her exercise habits and good about her looks. Findings Exercise patterns within networks related to how often an alter made ego feel guilty about her exercise habits; alter gender and communication frequency related to how often an alter made ego feel good about her looks; and ego’s BD score was related to both feelings of guilt and body satisfaction. Originality/value The findings of this study support and extend literature highlighting the importance of someone’s immediate social network on their body image and related behaviors.