Israeli study finds women more prone to cosmetic‑procedure addiction than gambling
Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israeli Center for Addictions and Mental Health surveyed 1,614 Hebrew‑speaking Jewish women in Israel, aged 25‑71, in February 2025. The online questionnaire asked about past attempts to stop cosmetic procedures, any problems caused, and continuation despite negative experiences.
Seven hundred ten participants (44 %) reported having at least one cosmetic treatment. Among these women, 20 % showed a moderate‑to‑severe risk of addiction over their lifetime and 15.4 % reported similar signs in the past year. Across the whole sample, 6.8 % displayed moderate‑to‑severe risk in the past year. The prevalence is higher than reported rates of gambling or gaming addiction among Israeli women in earlier studies. One in five women who had undergone a cosmetic procedure showed signs of addictive behaviour at some point.
Risk was greatest for participants who held a negative body image and spent a lot of time on social‑media platforms, especially when both factors were present. The study’s limitations include its cross‑sectional design and focus solely on Hebrew‑speaking Jewish women, which may restrict the generalisability of the findings.
Entities: Hebrew University of Jerusalem · Israeli Center for Addictions and Mental Health · Journal of Health Psychology
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The addiction risk is higher than reported rates of gambling or gaming addiction among Israeli women in other studies.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Among women who had a cosmetic procedure, 20 % showed moderate‑to‑severe risk of addiction over their lifetime.
- [● 3 SOURCES] 15.4 % of those women reported similar addiction signs in the past year.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Overall, 6.8 % of all respondents showed moderate‑to‑severe risk of cosmetic‑procedure addiction in the past year.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Risk was greatest among women with a negative body image who spent a lot of time on social‑media platforms.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The study surveyed 1,614 Hebrew‑speaking Jewish women in Israel aged 25‑71 in February 2025. (online questionnaire)
- [● 3 SOURCES] 710 participants reported having undergone at least one cosmetic procedure.
- [● 3 SOURCES] One in five women who had a cosmetic procedure exhibited signs of addictive behaviour at some point.