Examining Perfectionism, Social Media Use, and Depression

Distinguished teaching professor of psychology Monica Schneider (SUNY Geneseo/Mat Johnson)

Distinguished teaching professor of psychology Monica Schneider and Geneseo student researchers are examining the links between perfectionism, problematic social media use, and depression.

“Social media has been linked to depression and mental health outcomes, and it’s long established that perfectionism is linked to depression,” says Schneider. “We took these findings a step further. We wanted to see if folks with perfectionism are navigating social media in a way that may increase their risk of experiencing symptoms of depression.”

In Fall 2025, Schneider and psychology majors Gabrielle DiVerde ’25, Lianna Mastro ’26, Grace Clement ’27, and Sabreen Abid ’27 developed a survey that asked students about their level of perfectionism, their propensity to dwell on negative feelings, whether they feel they have to measure up to others’ standards, their use of social media, and their experiences with various symptoms associated with depression. One hundred and eighteen Geneseo students completed the surveys anonymously. Their answers were both confirming and enlightening.

From that data, Schneider’s team gleaned insight about two types of perfectionism. In one type, called self-oriented perfectionism, the individual internalizes perfectionism and puts unrealistic expectations and standards upon themselves. In the other type, socially prescribed perfectionism, an individual’s unrealistic expectations and standards come from outside influences, such as family, friends, and media. Both types of perfectionism have been linked to rumination and contingencies placed on one’s personal value that come from being better than others, looking a certain way, or being liked or respected by others.

The team’s data indicate that socially prescribed perfectionism is associated with greater contingent self-worth, which can be a predictor of addiction to social media use. These links were then found to predict greater symptoms of depression, according to Schneider.

“They may be more apt to scroll media to see beauty standards, influencers, and measures of success, which they may place on their self-worth. Our research suggests that this link may be one of several factors that increase risk for depression among people who perceive that others are placing unrealistic expectations and standards on them,” says Schneider.

The team will present their full study and results in a poster session at the Eastern Psychological Association annual convention in Boston in February. All four student researchers received a TRAC grant to cover attendance at the conference, funded in part by The Geneseo Foundation.

Schneider has worked with 10 Geneseo student researchers on three social media-based studies since Fall 2023.

“We now have a pretty good idea of the kinds of things that put people at risk for problematic social media use and how different personality factors play a role in increasing that,” says Schneider. “The student researchers with whom I work play a significant role in every part of the research process from design all the way to analysis and presentation of our results. I couldn’t do what I do without working with students, and it’s amazing to be able to give them that level of responsibility, connection, and education.”

Learn more about the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.