Attitude to one’s own body seriously affects self-esteem. How should you think about appearance in order to accept yourself with all the features? Psychologist Jessica Alleva shares the results of a recent study that helps channel your thoughts in a body-positive direction.
How we think about our body is important, says Jessica Alleva, a psychology professor and researcher of the relationship between the human body and the body. “Studies from our laboratory at the University of Maastricht (Netherlands) have shown that you can feel more positive about your body if you think not about how it looks, but about what it is capable of.”
During the project, 75 women and men aged 18 to 25 were randomly assigned to groups. Some participants had to write about the functionality of the body — about what it can do. Others described their appearance — the way the body looks. The psychologists then analyzed the texts.
Among the subjects who wrote about the functionality of their body, the majority positively assessed its capabilities. They mentioned the functions that are significant for them, which allow them to perform useful actions or move in space, assessed the endurance of the body, which can adapt to various circumstances — for example, lack of sleep. Many subjects considered their bodies to be «normally functioning.» Participants also remembered what important “behind the scenes” work the body does (for example, pumping blood) and what pleasure it gives when cuddling with a partner, dancing and other pleasant activities.
Participants who wrote about their own appearance actively compared their appearance to what they considered “normal” appearance. Positive ratings were also found in this group, but more often the subjects spoke of their body as a “project” that needed to be worked on, for example, through diets, makeup or cosmetic procedures. Some expressed gratitude for their appearance, mentioning unique traits and physical features that reflect ethnicity.
It turns out that what we focus on — on the functionality of our body or on how it looks — can give rise to different thoughts about it.
Focusing on what our bodies are capable of doing can lead to a more positive attitude towards the body.
While some women and men also expressed positive body image and positive feelings about their appearance when describing their appearance, in general there were potentially problematic tendencies in their writing. Comparing appearances, thinking about other people’s assessments, and seeing the body as a «project» can reinforce negative attitudes towards it.
This is the first such study based on written reviews. It is important to remember that young people took part in it, who may not yet have experienced problems with the functionality of the body, such as physical illness or age-related changes. Perhaps that is why it was much easier for them to positively describe the capabilities of the organism, and not its appearance.
However, their conclusions are supported by another study that was conducted in a different target group — in women with rheumatoid arthritis. It showed that focusing subjects on what their bodies are capable of doing despite physical symptoms or problems, even when there are health problems, can lead to a more positive attitude towards the body.
Jessica Alleva and her colleagues plan to conduct new studies to confirm the identified trends and get more accurate data. “In the future, it will be interesting to study how different groups of people describe their bodies in terms of functionality and appearance,” she comments.
Maidir leis an údar: Is ollamh síceolaíochta agus speisialtóir í Jessica Alleva sa réimse a bhaineann le daoine lena gcuma.