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