Satisfaction With One’s Body Is Closely Connected To Happiness, According To A Study
In the modern way of life, image is of fundamental importance, and this also seems to apply to the way we judge ourselves. That is why the way we value our appearance is very relevant. The physique plays a role in the job search and relationships with others, but also in something much more important: our self-image and self-esteem.
In relation to this, a team of researchers from Chapman University has recently published a study in which Psychological factors that are related to satisfaction with one’s appearance are explored. and the body weight of a total of 12,000 Americans. One of the main conclusions of this study is that the way one values one’s appearance has a very close relationship with satisfaction with one’s own life path, something that we can also simply call happiness.
We tend to associate concern about appearances with the female sex, but this study breaks this idea. In women, satisfaction with one’s own body was the third most powerful predictor of satisfaction with one’s life, below the economic situation and satisfaction with the couple. In men, only one element was more related to life satisfaction than the way one values one’s physique: satisfaction with one’s economic situation.
These results indicate that, at least in American society or, by extension, in Western cultures, male self-image is far from being irrelevant.
Very demanding with weight
This study also reveals that among those surveyed there is a relatively low percentage of people satisfied with their own weight. Only 24% of men and 20% of women feel between very satisfied and extremely satisfied with it If we add to this proportion of people surveyed those who feel “somewhat satisfied” with what they weigh, the group only reaches half of the people surveyed. Furthermore, satisfaction with body weight and satisfaction with physical appearance have been shown to be extremely related.
These results don’t say much about Americans’ actual weight or their health. pays attention to the way they value their body weight And what has been found reinforces the idea that much importance is being placed on the (fictitious) need to conform to beauty standards in which the body fat index must be minimal and, in the case of Women, many areas of the body should have as little volume as possible. As a result, many people believe they are very far from their ideal weight.
You may be interested in reading this post: “Does physical appearance matter when flirting? 3 reflections on beauty”
Weight sets the agenda
Weight has importance in people’s levels of general well-being, beyond what is traditionally understood by health. For example, The results of this study show that people with greater dissatisfaction with their own weight show a clear tendency to show low levels of self-esteem and dissatisfaction with sexual life.
Furthermore, people with greater dissatisfaction with their weight tended to show a style of relating to others more governed by anxiety and fear of rejection, obtaining relatively high scores in neuroticism. This can lead to a vicious cycle in which fear of losing contact with others leads to greater concern about one’s appearance, which leads to greater worry and anxiety about social relationships, etc.
On the other hand, people who were more satisfied with their physique tended to obtain higher scores in extraversion and openness to experience, in addition to developing a type of bond with others in which fear does not play a relevant role.
Beyond the image
Regardless of whether we believe that personal image matters more or less, this study shows that the starting situation is what it is, and many people feel a type of dissatisfaction related not so much to what they really weigh but to the way in which they They see themselves physically.
For this part of society, the issue of image and aesthetics cannot be ignored, because This facet of their identity is closely related to fears and insecurities that affect them in their daily lives
