Abstract
In the past two decades, growing empirical efforts have illuminated the need to understand body image disturbances and preoccupations associated with the male experience. Scholars, practitioners, and more recently, public policy are increasingly interested in the nature, causes, and consequences of men's body image apprehensions and weight concerns. This accession is largely due to the fact that men are progressively becoming more visible in popular culture (especially through exceedingly lean and muscular depictions) and concurrently, severe body image-related disorders such as anorexia nervosa among men are on the rise. This chapter aims to provide a review of the consequences associated with men's unhealthy body image including the psychological (e.g., weight distortions and emotional valence), behavioral (e.g., dieting/fasting, substance use, and cosmetic surgery), and cognitive health outcomes particular to the male experience (e.g., appearance schemas, cognitive performance, and cognitive load/malnutrition on cognitive functioning).
Highlights
Until recently, empirical and theoretical research pertaining to the realm of body image was largely restricted to the female experience [1, 2]
102 Weight Loss are increasingly interested in the nature, causes, and consequences of men’s body image apprehension because ample empirical research indicates the irrefutable rise in weight concerns and eating disorders among men [5–10]
And mainstream research reveals that one third of those suffering from anorexia nervosa and one fourth from bulimia nervosa are men and nearly equivalent numbers of men and women suffer from binge eating disorders [12]
Summary
Empirical and theoretical research pertaining to the realm of body image was largely restricted to the female experience [1, 2]. Contemporary efforts have illuminated the need to understand body image disturbances and preoccupations associated with the male experience [3, 4]. The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to this emerging body of research by providing a comprehensive review of the common consequences associated with men’s unhealthy body image. For literature on male cognitive experiences and the effects related to malnutrition, the search was extended to include the 1990s given the relative size of the domain. The chapter begins by defining the concept of body image and is subsequently divided into three sections to elaborate on the psychological (e.g., weight distortions and emotional valence), behavioral (e.g., dieting/fasting, substance use, and cosmetic surgery), and cognitive health outcomes particular to the male experience (e.g., appearance schemas, cognitive performance, and cognitive load/malnutrition on cognitive functioning)
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