The effects of obesity, gender and specialty on perceptions of physicians’ social influence

Abstract

This research examines the effects of obesity, gender, and specialty on the social influence of physicians. Recent research in other areas of social science indicates that the effects of gender are declining, but the effects of the obesity physical appearance dimension linger. For physicians, just the opposite seems to be the case. More significant gender effects than obesity effects were found. Some specialties also interact with gender and obesity. Moreover, the research describes an innovative use of morphing to manipulate and isolate the obesity stimulus.