The Psychophysiological Consequences of State Self-Objectification and Predictors of Clothing-Related Distress

Abstract

Using a within-participants experimental design, the psychophysiological impact of objectified versus non-objectified clothing conditions in a sample of college women (n = 28) was examined. Participants showed significantly lower mean heart rate (HR) in the objectified compared to the non-objectified condition within the first 6 seconds of stimulus onset, indicative of an orienting response (OR). The effect persisted at 5 minutes and did not vary as a function of trait self-objectification. Results further inform objectification theory, suggesting a psychophysiological mechanism that may explain reduced cognitive processing in objectified states. A secondary aim was to examine prospective predictors of clothing-related distress. Weight, thin-ideal internalization, social comparison, and trait self-objectification predicted negative affect, state anxiety, and body preferences following clothing conditions but not HR changes from objectified to non-objectified conditions. Partial regression coefficients sug...