Psychologists urge users to remember that social media rarely reflects the full complexity of real life. Influencers often ____________ a carefully curated online persona, which can ____________ unrealistic standards and occasionally ____________negative self-comparisons amongst their followers.

The sentence explains how social media, especially the actions of influencers, can distort reality and have negative psychological effects on users. The sentence progresses from what influencers do to the consequences for followers.

Blank 1 needs a verb describing what influencers do with their online persona. Since it’s “carefully curated,” the word should reflect intentional upkeep or display. Blank 2 must describe the result of this curation — it leads to unrealistic standards, so a verb that means to “cause” or “create” is appropriate.Blank 3 deals with the impact on followers — it needs a verb meaning to cause or initiate negative self-comparisons.

Of the choices given, the only word fit for the blank 1 is "maintain" (option B). "Maintain" is a perfect fit — it means to uphold or keep up, which aligns with the curated persona. The other choices don't fit here; "Endorse" (option A) means to support or approve of, "advocate" (Option C) means to argue for or support publicly, not about presenting oneself, and "profess" (option D) means to declare or claim openly.

The other two word choices in option B also fit the blanks perfectly. Generate fits well in blank 2— it means to create or bring about (unrealistic standards), and trigger is ideal for blank 3 — it commonly describes initiating emotional or psychological responses.

Hence, the correct choice here is Option B.