Instagram, Beauty Filters, and Body Identity: What Research Reveals
Key insights: 60-second read
- Instagram may blur the line between you and others - the more years you spend on the platform, the more your sense of self may become influenced by what you see online.
- Beauty filters affect how you experience your body - even occasional use may change how you perceive your physical self.
- The effect isn't about body image concerns - it's about how you experience your body from the inside and how you tell the difference between yourself and others.
- When everyone looks the same online, it can blur the boundaries of identity - repeated exposure to standardized beauty may gradually erode your sense of what makes you unique.
We all know that Instagram can affect how we feel about our bodies. Scrolling through endless images of filtered perfection can leave anyone feeling inadequate. But what if the impact goes deeper than just feeling bad about how you look?
A study published in Computers in Human Behavior (Sansoni et al., 2026) suggests that Instagram might actually change how you experience your own body - not just how you feel about it, but how you perceive it from the inside.
The researchers found that years spent on Instagram and the use of beauty filters were linked to something called "embodiment" - a fancy word for how strongly you experience a body as your own. In simple terms, the more time you spend on Instagram, the more your sense of self may become blurred with the images you see online.
"When everyone looks the same on Instagram, the line between 'me' and 'them' starts to fade. This may gradually erode your sense of bodily identity." - Adapted from Sansoni et al., 2026
On this page
What the Study Found
The researchers studied 95 young adults (average age 26) and looked at three things:
- How much time they spent on Instagram each day (average about 63 minutes)
- How many years they had been using Instagram (average nearly 8 years)
- Whether they used beauty filters (about 1 in 8 participants did)
They measured three different aspects of body experience:
- Body image concerns - how much they worried about their appearance
- Body awareness from the inside - their ability to sense internal signals like their heartbeat
- Embodiment - how strongly they experienced a virtual face or body as their own
Body Image
Instagram use did not predict body image concerns in this study. That doesn't mean Instagram doesn't affect body image for some people - it may just be that other types of measures capture it better.
Internal Body Awareness
Instagram use was not linked to how well people could sense their own heartbeat. This suggests that the effects may be about how you perceive your body from the outside, not from the inside.
Face Experience
People who had used Instagram for more years were more likely to experience a virtual face as their own. This suggests that prolonged exposure may blur the boundaries between self and others.
Full Body Experience
People who used beauty filters were more likely to experience a virtual body as their own. This suggests that even occasional filter use may affect how you perceive your body.
Key Findings in Plain English
Instagram Use and Face Experience
The most striking finding was about the face. The face is special - it's how we recognise ourselves and others. It's central to our identity.
The researchers found that for every extra year someone had been on Instagram, they were more likely to experience a virtual face as their own. This suggests that years of seeing highly edited, similar-looking faces on Instagram may slowly blur the line between what you actually look like and what you see online.
If everyone looks the same, it gets harder to tell where you end and others begin.
Beauty Filters and Body Experience
People who used beauty filters were more likely to experience a virtual body as their own. This finding was more tentative because only a small number of participants used filters, but it suggests that even occasional filter use may affect how you perceive your physical self.
When you see a filtered version of yourself often enough, it may start to feel more like the "real" you.
What Does This Mean?
The study suggests that Instagram may not just affect how you feel about your body - it may affect how you experience your body as yours. Over time, the boundary between your own face and body and the highly edited, homogenised versions you see online may become less clear.
What is "Embodiment"?
Embodiment is a fancy word for a simple idea: how strongly do you experience a body as being yours?
Think about it this way. When you look in the mirror, you know the face looking back is yours. You don't just see it - you feel it belongs to you. That feeling of ownership, of location (knowing you're inside that body), and of agency (knowing you control that body) is what embodiment is all about.
The researchers used virtual reality to test this. They showed people a virtual face or body being stroked with a brush, while at the same time stroking the person's own face or body. When the timing was right, people would start to feel like the virtual face or body was actually theirs.
This is a powerful illusion that reveals just how flexible our sense of self can be. And the study suggests that Instagram might be training our brains to be more flexible in this way - to more easily adopt external images as part of ourselves.
Why This Matters for You
The Bigger Picture
The researchers propose something called the "Digital Erosion of Bodily Identity Hypothesis." That's a mouthful, but here's what it means in plain language:
- On Instagram, everyone starts to look the same. The beauty standards are narrow and homogeneous. Filters smooth skin, change nose shapes, and create a uniform look.
- When you see this day after day, year after year, it changes your perception. The line between what you look like and what you see online starts to blur.
- Over time, this may erode your sense of bodily identity. You may start to feel less like a unique individual and more like part of a crowd of similar-looking faces.
This is not about body image - it's about identity. It's about knowing who you are and what makes you different from others.
Study Limitations
As with any research, there are important limitations to keep in mind:
- It's a snapshot, not a movie. The study was cross-sectional, meaning it looked at everyone at one point in time. We can't say that Instagram causes these effects - only that there's a link.
- Not many beauty filter users. Only 12 out of 95 people used filters. The findings about filters are interesting but need to be confirmed with larger groups.
- The sample was limited. Most participants were white, university-educated, and from similar backgrounds. We don't know if the same findings would apply to other groups.
- The study only looked at Instagram. Other platforms may have different effects.
The Bottom Line
This study offers a fresh perspective on how Instagram may affect us. It's not just about body image concerns or feeling bad about how we look. It's about something deeper: how we experience our own bodies as ours.
Years of exposure to homogeneous, filtered faces may slowly blur the line between self and other. The more we see the same standardised images, the more our own sense of uniqueness may fade.
Being mindful of this is the first step. You don't need to delete Instagram, but understanding how it might be shaping your sense of self can help you use it more intentionally.
Reference
Sansoni, M., Portingale, J., De Gaspari, S., Brizzi, G., Chorzępa, M., & Riva, G. (2026). Blurring the boundaries of the self: Instagram's impact on bodily identity and multisensory experience among young adults. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2026.109054
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Instagram really change how I experience my body?
The study suggests it might. People who had used Instagram for more years were more likely to experience a virtual face as their own. This doesn't mean you don't know who you are - but it does suggest that prolonged exposure to standardised images may blur the boundaries between self and others.
What is the "erosion of bodily identity"?
It's a fancy way of saying that your sense of who you are - your unique identity, the feeling that your body is yours alone - may slowly fade when you're constantly exposed to images that all look the same. When everyone on Instagram looks alike, the distinction between you and others becomes less clear.
Are beauty filters harmful?
The study found a link between filter use and how people experienced a virtual body. The researchers were careful to say this finding is tentative because only a few participants used filters. But it suggests that even occasional filter use might affect how you perceive your body.
Should I stop using Instagram?
Not necessarily. The study highlights potential effects of prolonged use, not a need to quit entirely. Being mindful of how you use the platform, diversifying your feed, and staying connected to your actual body can help maintain a strong sense of self.
Does this apply to other social media platforms?
The study specifically looked at Instagram, which is highly visual and appearance-focused. Other platforms may have different effects. More research is needed to know for sure.
One key insight
"Years of exposure to filtered, homogeneous faces on Instagram may slowly blur the line between self and other. The more we see the same standardised images, the more our own sense of uniqueness may fade."
Concerned About Your Relationship With Social Media?
If you're worried about how social media may be affecting your sense of self or wellbeing, please reach out and speak to a trusted doctor or mental health practitioner. As a physio, this is certainly not my area of expertise, but we do see the physical impact of mental health every day. If you are in pain and feel a broader approach can help, check out our physiotherapy services in Port Macquarie.
Want personalised guidance?
If you would like help making sense of your physical health concerns, you can book with Grant either in Port Macquarie or via an online telehealth consultation.
