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