Abstract
Body dissatisfaction is prevalent among women and associated with subsequent obesity and eating disorders. Exposure to images of bodies of different sizes has been suggested to change the perception of ‘normal’ body size in others. We tested whether exposure to different-sized (otherwise identical) bodies changes perception of own and others' body size, satisfaction with body size and amount of chocolate consumed. In Study 1, 90 18–25-year-old women with normal BMI were randomized into one of three groups to complete a 15 min two-back task using photographs of women either of ‘normal weight’ (Body Mass Index (BMI) 22–23 kg m−2), or altered to appear either under- or over-weight. Study 2 was identical except the 96 participants had high baseline body dissatisfaction and were followed up after 24 h. We also conducted a mega-analysis combining both studies. Participants rated size of others' bodies, own size, and satisfaction with size pre- and post-task. Post-task ratings were compared between groups, adjusting for pre-task ratings. Participants exposed to over- or normal-weight images subsequently perceived others' bodies as smaller, in comparison to those shown underweight bodies (p < 0.001). They also perceived their own bodies as smaller (Study 1, p = 0.073; Study 2, p = 0.018; mega-analysis, p = 0.001), and felt more satisfied with their size (Study 1, p = 0.046; Study 2, p = 0.004; mega-analysis, p = 0.006). There were no differences in chocolate consumption. This study suggests that a move towards using images of women with a BMI in the healthy range in the media may help to reduce body dissatisfaction, and the associated risk of eating disorders.
Highlights
Body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for eating disorders [1], low mood, obesity and weight gain in adolescents and young adults of both genders [2,3,4,5]
If it were possible to alter perception of own body size, this could potentially be used as a way of reducing body dissatisfaction and its negative consequences, including obesity and weight gain [5], in the general population
Four participants were excluded as they had been erroneously recruited with Body Dissatisfaction scores ≤35, despite inclusion criteria requiring a score greater than 35
Summary
Body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for eating disorders [1], low mood, obesity and weight gain in adolescents and young adults of both genders [2,3,4,5]. Viewing photographs of males whose body mass index (BMI) is in the obese, as opposed to normal, category leads to both male and female participants judging a man with a BMI in the overweight range to have a healthy, normal weight [15,16]. Two of these studies included only images of women, and two only images of men, the results across both studies were consistent in terms of a change in perception of what constitutes a ‘normal’ body size in others. The body size perceived as most attractive became smaller following exposure to thinner as opposed to larger bodies [13,14]
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