Are body perceptions and perceived appearance judgments by others linked to stress and depressive symptoms?

Abstract

Body dissatisfaction has consistently been linked to depressive symptoms. We posit stress as a pathway, with differential links to two aspects of body esteem, including body dissatisfaction and evaluations attributed to others about one's body and appearance. The Trier Social Stress Test was administered, and cortisol responses to acute psychosocial stress and survey data (perceived chronic stress, self‐reported body esteem, and depressive symptoms) were assessed in 57 undergraduates (28F). Chronic stress mediated the association between body image and depressive symptoms. These findings support stress as a pathway by which poor self‐image gets “under the skin” to negatively affect health.

The effect of perceived appearance judgements on psychological and biological stress processes across adulthood

“…Thus, those who perceive their appearance is judged negatively may not only be particularly vulnerable to stress in social-evaluative situations but may also be more likely to show stronger cortisol responses to stress as well (Sabik et al, 2018).…”

“…However, the current literature focuses on performance‐ and identity‐related attributes, such as gender or race, when assessing the impact of social judgements on stress and well‐being. Fewer studies have investigated how an individual's self‐perceptions, particularly those encompassing aspects of appearance, are associated with stress, despite the evidence that perceptions of appearance play a significant role in determining who is susceptible to social‐evaluative stress (Lupis, Sabik, & Wolf, ; Sabik, Lupis, Geiger, & Wolf, ). In particular, the role of perceived appearance judgements, that is, feeling negatively about one's own appearance or feeling that others negatively judge one's appearance, may threaten an individual's sense of his or her social standing and may contribute to established models of social‐evaluative stress.…”

“…Social self‐preservation theory posits that stress is experienced when an aspect of an individual's identity has the potential to be judged negatively by others (Dickerson & Kemeny, ). Research on this theory has focused primarily on stress experienced as a result of the social evaluation of performance; however, perceptions of appearance is one aspect of an individual's identity that may influence experiences of stress (Geiger, Sabik, Lupis, Rene, & Wolf, ; Lupis et al, ; Sabik et al, ). In particular, being evaluated by others (e.g., the male gaze) often leads women to internalize an outsider's perspective on their bodies and to view their bodies as objects (Fredrickson & Roberts, ; Moradi, ).…”

“…Cortisol is the hormonal end product of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, a central system in the body's physiological response to stress. Thus, those who perceive their appearance is judged negatively may not only be particularly vulnerable to stress in social‐evaluative situations but may also be more likely to show stronger cortisol responses to stress as well (Sabik et al, ).…”