Body image and decision-making are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain decision-making, and decision-making frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Decision-Making
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives decision-making
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary decision-making trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as decision-making
How Decision-Making Affects Body Image
Decision-Making 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 Decision-Making 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 decision-making
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and decision-making