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