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Peer Influence Via Instagram: Effects on Brain and Behavior in Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Author(s) -
Sherman Lauren E.,
Greenfield Patricia M.,
Hernandez Leanna M.,
Dapretto Mirella
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12838
Subject(s) - psychology , functional magnetic resonance imaging , adolescent development , developmental psychology , nucleus accumbens , cognition , neuroscience , central nervous system
Mobile social media often feature the ability to “Like” content posted by others. This study examined the effect of Likes on youths' neural and behavioral responses to photographs. High school and college students ( N = 61, ages 13–21) viewed theirs and others' Instagram photographs while undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Participants more often Liked photographs that appeared to have received many (vs. few) Likes. Popular photographs elicited greater activity in multiple brain regions, including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a hub of the brain's reward circuitry. NAcc responsivity increased with age for high school but not college students. When viewing images depicting risk‐taking (vs. nonrisky photographs), high school students, but not college students, showed decreased activation of neural regions implicated in cognitive control.