Body image and body language are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain body language, and body language frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Body Language
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives body language
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary body language trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as body language
How Body Language Affects Body Image
Body Language can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Body Language Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by body language
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and body language