New research by our Department of Psychology has determined that our perceptions of body image are shaped by what we see from as early as seven years old.
These body ideals continue to be informed by visual exposure to different body weights into adulthood.
The results have implications for our understanding of body size and the perceptions, and possible misperceptions, of weight in a health and wellbeing context.
Led by Professor Lynda Boothroyd the first-of-its-kind study examined the flexibility of body weight perceptions in children and young adults.
The study, which involved more than 200 individuals aged seven through to adulthood, uncovered a significant shift in weight perceptions after being shown images depicting various body weights.
The results show that the manner in which our brains represent what constitutes “heavy” or “light” develops at a very young age.
The research also indicated that media influences known to shape adult body perceptions can almost certainly impact children to the same degree, starting from early childhood and continuing to evolve into adulthood.
The experimental study adds to the growing wealth of research at Durham on body perception and body ideals in both children and adults.
Professor Boothroyd’s team has previously shown that adults’ ideas about what is an ‘attractive’ body weight or muscle mass are affected by visual experience.
This includes the effect of television access on body perception among remote communities in Latin America and, in a separate study, finding that White Western women have lower body appreciation and experience greater pressure from the media to be thin compared to Black Nigerian and Chinese women across all ages.
The team is now investigating how best to address body image concerns in young adults across the globe in a major £2 million (€2.5M) research project.
They’re also developing novel play-based techniques to investigate children’s understandings of body weight and body ideals from a younger age.
This latest study included data gathered during the University’s ‘Junior Scientist’ event, which actively involves families from the local communities around Durham, UK, in various research and educational activities.
Our Department of Psychology is ranked 74th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. Feeling inspired? Visit our Psychology webpages to learn more about our postgraduate and undergraduate programmes.
/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/central-news-and-events-images/83431-1920X290.jpg)