Exploring the relationship between intuitive eating, Instagram use, and mentalization among adults

This study examined the relationship between intuitive eating, Instagram use, and mentalization. A cross-sectional study was utilized to study this relationship, and data were collected from 327 adults aged between 18 and 74 years (M = 36.85, SD = 13.06), 75.1% of (253 individuals) were women, and 22.3% (75 individuals) were men. In this study, Instagram use was operationalized as the average time participants spent on Instagram per day. Intuitive eating-2 (IES-2) scale was used to measure the level of intuitive eating and Mentalization Scale (MentS) was used to measure the level of mentalization of the participants. In this study, mentalization and intuitive eating was not found to be associated with daily Instagram use. Furthermore, mentalization did not moderate the relationship between Instagram use and intuitive eating. However, a significant relationship was found between Instagram visit frequency and intuitive eating. Individuals who logged into Instagram more frequently reported lower levels of intuitive eating. This result suggests that the relationship between these two constructs is worthy of further investigation. Moreover, a significant relationship was found between mentalization and intuitive eating. Based on this result, it could be concluded that there is a link between individuals' intuitive eating behavior and their mentalization skills. This study contributes to the literature on intuitive eating and mentalization. The relationship between social media use and these constructs can be further explored with other methods.