The Danger of Even Thinking You’re Overweight

Pacific Standard:

The last three decades have brought an alarming rise in childhood obesity. Much of society’s attention has centered on kids who’ve already put on a few too many pounds, but that overlooks one important group of kids: teens who think they’re more overweight than they actually are. Turns out, their misperceptions greatly increase the chances they’ll be obese as young adults.

Researchers who’ve studied obesity know there are a number of psychological factors that can put people at risk for obesity, among them weight discrimination. In a 2013 study, for example, Angelina Sutin and Antonio Terracciano of Florida State University found that both normal and overweight adults who felt they’d been treated unfairly because of their weight were more likely to become obese than others. Likely, the psychologists argued, that’s because the stress and stigmatization of obesity—jokes, job discrimination, even physical attacks—led to depression, overeating, and less exercise.

Read the whole story: Pacific Standard