According to NewBeauty Magazine, just thinking that you’re overweight may negatively affect your quality of life just as much as actually being overweight.
According to a recent study held in Germany, people who believed themselves overweight reported a lower quality of life than people who believed themselves to be at a healthy weight.
In the study, 7,000 adolescents were asked to assess their bodies on a scale ranging from “far too thin” to “far too fat”. The subjects were also questioned about their quality of life.
While only 18% of the subjects were considered overweight, 36% of males and 55% of females reported thinking of themselves as overweight. Not only did those who were actually overweight report a lower quality of life, the subjects who merely thought they were overweight did as well.
The researchers associate this correlation with societal pressure to be thin. Another recent study done at University College London reported that healthy people consistently judge their bodies to be shorter and wider than they actually are. Perhaps these two studies could provide a link to the roots of body image disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa.
