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