Navigation
The moderating effects of gender and emotional eating on the relationship between social media addiction and hedonic hunger in university students
This research examines the relationship between social media addiction and hedonic hunger, specifically among university students in Türkiye. A cross-sectional study involving 930 participants was conducted during the 2023–2024 academic year. Utilizing the Social Media Addiction Scale–Adult Form (SMAS-AF) and the Power of Food Scale (PFS), the study found a significant positive relationship between social media addiction and hedonic hunger (B = 0.61, p < 0.01). Emotional eating was identified as a significant moderator of this relationship (B = − 0.24, p < 0.01), while gender did not exhibit a moderating effect. Furthermore, students who perceived their nutritional knowledge as insufficient and reported poor eating habits showed elevated scores on both scales (p < 0.05). These findings underscore the need for interventions that focus on emotional regulation, nutrition education, and media literacy to mitigate the adverse effects of social media on eating behaviors among young adults. [NPID: social media, hedonic hunger, addiction, knowledge, eating habits]
Year: 2025
