Health & Medicine
Is Your Family Criticizing Your Weight? Disapproval May Cause You To Put On Pounds
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Dec 19, 2014 02:42 PM EST
Does your family think you should lose weight? Chances are, this kind of attitude could cause you to gain a pound or two, instead.
"When we feel bad about our bodies, we often turn to loved ones-families, friends and romantic partners-for support and advice. How they respond can have a bigger effect than we might think," said lead study author Professor Christine Logel from Renison University College at the University of Waterloo, in a news release.
The study showed that women who received a higher number of what officials referred to as acceptance messages had a better time maintaining their weight, overall.
For the study, researchers looked at university-age women--a group that oftentimes has a problem or two with their weight. A team of social psychologists asked the women their height and weight and how they felt when they saw it on the scale. Five months later, they asked them if they had talked to their loved ones about their concerns and how they responded. Then, three months later, researchers tracked to see whether their weight and their concerns had changed in that amount of time.
"On average, the women in the study were at the high end of Health Canada's BMI recommendations, so the healthiest thing is for them to maintain the weight they have and not be so hard on themselves," concluded Professor Logel. "But many of the women were still very concerned about how much they weigh, and most talked to their loved ones about it."
Findings revealed that those who received a positive message from their family about their weight maintained their current weight or were more likely to even lose a little. However, those who received less-acceptable messages were likely to gain about 4.5 pounds on average.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
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First Posted: Dec 19, 2014 02:42 PM EST
Does your family think you should lose weight? Chances are, this kind of attitude could cause you to gain a pound or two, instead.
"When we feel bad about our bodies, we often turn to loved ones-families, friends and romantic partners-for support and advice. How they respond can have a bigger effect than we might think," said lead study author Professor Christine Logel from Renison University College at the University of Waterloo, in a news release.
The study showed that women who received a higher number of what officials referred to as acceptance messages had a better time maintaining their weight, overall.
For the study, researchers looked at university-age women--a group that oftentimes has a problem or two with their weight. A team of social psychologists asked the women their height and weight and how they felt when they saw it on the scale. Five months later, they asked them if they had talked to their loved ones about their concerns and how they responded. Then, three months later, researchers tracked to see whether their weight and their concerns had changed in that amount of time.
"On average, the women in the study were at the high end of Health Canada's BMI recommendations, so the healthiest thing is for them to maintain the weight they have and not be so hard on themselves," concluded Professor Logel. "But many of the women were still very concerned about how much they weigh, and most talked to their loved ones about it."
Findings revealed that those who received a positive message from their family about their weight maintained their current weight or were more likely to even lose a little. However, those who received less-acceptable messages were likely to gain about 4.5 pounds on average.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone