Abstract

This study investigated the impact of upward social comparison experienced during the use of social networking services (SNS) on emotional eating behaviors. It further examined the mediating role of relative deprivation and the moderating effect of alexithymia in this relationship. Focusing particularly on women in their 20s and 30s—a demographic that has shown a sharp increase in eating disorders—the study explored how upward comparison on SNS may evoke feelings of relative deprivation, which in turn may lead to emotional eating as a coping mechanism. It was also hypothesized that individuals with high levels of alexithymia, who struggle to identify and express their emotions, may be more susceptible to this process. Data were collected from 250 women aged 20 to 39 residing in South Korea. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 21 and the SPSS PROCESS Macro version 2.13. The key findings are as follows. First, upward comparison on SNS had a direct and significantly positive effect on emotional eating behaviors. Second, relative deprivation partially mediated this relationship. Third, alexithymia moderated only the direct path, amplifying the effect of upward comparison on emotional eating, while no significant moderating effect was found on the indirect path via relative deprivation. Based on these findings, this study discusses the negative psychological effects of SNS use and suggests preventive and therapeutic strategies for addressing emotional eating behaviors influenced by these experiences.