Online Groups About Dating Problems May Be Pushing Young People to Get Extreme Cosmetic Surgery

Researchers at the University of Portsmouth found that certain online communities—groups of people who talk about struggling with dating and blame their appearance—are connected to young people choosing extreme cosmetic and surgical procedures. The study shows that conversations happening online are actually changing what people do in real life, including decisions about their bodies. In other words, when people spend time in these online groups discussing rejection in dating and ranking people by looks, it influences whether they decide to get surgery or extreme cosmetic treatments. What starts as talk on the internet is leading to real medical decisions and physical changes.