Appearance investment mediates the association between fear of negative evaluation and dietary restraint

•The association between fear of negative evaluation and dietary restraint was replicated.•After controlling for BMI, self-evaluative salience fully mediated this association.•After controlling for BMI, motivational salience partially mediated this association.•In women for whom appearance is important, dieting may be a strategy to avoid others’ negative evaluation.

This study investigated whether appearance investment explains the association between fear of negative evaluation and dietary restraint. Data were collected from 305 undergraduate female participants in an online survey. Mediation analyses were conducted using Preacher and Hayes (2008) Indirect Mediation macro. Results showed that both components of appearance investment that is, holding appearance as central to self-definition and the tendency to engage in appearance management behaviours, mediate the association between fear of negative evaluation and dietary restraint. The Baron and Kenny (1986) method further showed that holding appearance as central to self-definition fully mediates this association but that engagement in appearance management behaviours only partially mediates it. These results suggest that appearance investment could prompt women to diet to try to lose weight to fend off feared negative evaluation from others.