Abstract:
ABSTRACT
The current study investigated at how self-compassion, social comparison, and
young adults' use of social media are moderated by emotional intelligence. Social
media use is becoming more and more common, raising worries about the possible
effects on mental health, especially with regard to greater social comparison and less
self-compassion. Although past research has established a link between social media
use and mental health, the possible moderating impacts of emotional intelligence have
received less attention. This study focuses on one way that Emotional Intelligence
(EI) can shield users from the negative effects of social media: by encouraging a
decline in damaging social comparisons and boosting self-compassion. In the current
study, 400 users between the ages of 18 and 25 were given questionnaires on social
comparison, emotional intelligence, self-compassion, and social media usage. These
corresponding relationships were examined using multiple regression analysis and
moderation modeling. The findings revealed that higher social media use was
associated with increased social comparison and decrease self-compassion while
emotional intelligence moderated this relationship to some extent however emotional
intelligence did not significantly influence the association between social media use
and self-compassion. These results suggest that emotional intelligence alone may not
sufficiently mitigate the psychological impacts of social media emphasizing the need
for comprehensive mental health strategies and educational programs on emotional
resilience among young adults
