The weight of words: An investigation on the impact of stereotypical body language on body dissatisfaction

Authors

Hannah M. Brown

Document Type

Psychology Article

Abstract

Body image research is extensive, producing various tools to assess body dissatisfaction and related factors. Despite this, eating disorder rates remain high. This study investigates the relationship between self-schemas, the lexical frameworks of body-related words, and their impact on body shape dissatisfaction. Sociocultural pressures to conform to beauty standards make body image talk ubiquitous and influential. Previous studies primarily used explicit measures, like self-reports, which are subject to biases, whereas implicit measures reveal underlying cognitive mechanisms. This study employed the Stunkard Figure Scale to measure body dissatisfaction and the Body Appreciation Scale 2 to assess body appreciation, examining cognitive biases towards stereotype-congruent words using a lexical decision task. Results showed no significant correlation between body image discrepancy and response times to body image words. Nonetheless, all participants responded faster to stereotype-congruent words, indicating pervasive cognitive biases. These findings enhance our understanding of the profound influence of body image talk on cognitive processes.

Publication Date

2024-12-20

Publication Title

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Volume

17

Issue

2

ISSN

1754-2383

Deposit Date

2024-12-17

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Hannah M. (2024) "The weight of words: An investigation on the impact of stereotypical body language on body dissatisfaction," The Plymouth Student Scientist: Vol. 17: Iss. 2, Article 10.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70156/1754-2383.1500
Available at: https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/tpss/vol17/iss2/10