The words someone uses on Twitter can predict with 77% accuracy whether their diet will be successfully followed.
Correlation between Social Media Behavior and Diet Success
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have demonstrated a direct correlation between someone’s behavior on social media and the likelihood of that person successfully following a diet [1]. They will present their findings later this month at the 20th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (the name alone fills half a tweet). The words and expressions used on Twitter could predict the successful adherence to a diet with an accuracy of 77%.
We see that those who are more successful at sticking to their daily dieting goals express more positive sentiments and have a greater sense of achievement in their social interactions,” Professor Munmun De Choudhury, Science Daily
Expressions like “Train smart like a trainer…win like 6 time champion”, “If your not failing your not trying hard enough…,” and “If we never stumble we never fall. If we never fall we never fail, and if we never fail we never grow!”
All examples of motivating, self-reflective wordings mainly used by people who successfully adhere to a particular diet plan. Yes, exactly the type of fitness quotes I recently described developing a slight allergy to.
Not entirely surprisingly, these same people are more engaged on social media with topics like health and fitness. They share recipes more often, offer tips on training and nutrition, and of course, progress pics.
Social Fitness Filter and Social Support
You can imagine that as a fitness blogger and fitness photographer, I have personally and professionally a few thousand ‘friends’ whose lives are focused on or obsessed with fitness. So, I see nothing but these kinds of expressions. Sometimes a bit annoying although I also participate by continuously sharing photos of fitness photoshoots.
Such a ‘social fitness filter’ will be familiar to many readers. Partly consciously and partly unconsciously, you’re trapped in the fitness bubble of platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which continuously suggest following others with the same preoccupation for fun physique and fitness.
However, the researchers point out that this forms a successful support network and increases your own chances of success. Not entirely surprising. I think I’ve mentioned before the guilt that can unjustifiably creep up on you when on your rest day others post photos from the gym. Or photos of a perfect meal when your last meal was considerably ‘less perfect’.
So, interesting findings, but not particularly shocking. People who are so active online in fitness and healthy eating are apparently more motivated. Not strange if they also appear more disciplined.
Tweets Also Predict Chance of Failure
Conversely, it’s actually more interesting. People who are less successful in adhering to a diet also tend to use a more negative, uncomfortable, and anxious tone on Twitter.
These users tend to be more anxious seemingly because of a lack of emotional control, and because of certain activities and events of daily life, Sample posts here include, “I’m pretty sure I’m going to lose my mind. Completely lose what little is left. I cry at the thought of stupid things…” and “Feel rough as old boots this morning :/ Ankle hurts, shin hurts, chest hurts, head hurts.”
“Whiners,” most would say in my filter bubble.
The interesting thing about this research is that the researchers were able to link tweets and dietary habits because the participants recorded their food intake in an app. They used data from about 700 people, around 2 million tweets, and a few thousand food registrations. So, they could accurately track how much and what food the participants consumed and what expressions they made on Twitter at those times. Handy those apps that allow you to record your diet.
So(cial)?
What’s the use of this knowledge?
For instance, by temporally aligning social media, quantified self-sensing and self-reported attributes, statistical models may be able to explore dynamics of events around when or how soon an individual’s diet is likely to fail. This would allow for proactive measures to be taken to help ensure more positive health outcomes.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to fear that our coaches will start monitoring your social feed to assess whether you’re following your diet. For that, they simply check the app to see if you’re following your diet. That seems a bit easier than analyzing your tweets.
‘Dammit, Jim. I’m a coach, not a doctor!”
References
- news.gatech.edu/2017/02/21/likelihood-dieting-success-lies-within-your-tweets
