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