Weight and social comparison: Does the weight of a stranger affect a person’s perception of their own weight?

Christensen, Vibeke; Jæger, Mads Meier

doi:10.1177/2055102918819260

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(87 reference statements)

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“…Factors such as shift work, night duties, long working hours, and heavy stress from the clinical environment are associated with overweight among nurses (Chen et al, 2021). People, especially women, who are surrounded by many overweight peers might have under-perceptions of their weight (Christensen & Jaeger, 2018). In our study, for example, the health students may have compared their body size with that of overweight individuals in their peer groups during clinical placements and incorrectly perceived themselves as underweight.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Bmi and Weight Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Weight Perception and Its Impact on Health Behaviors among College Students in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study

Yeung,

Tsang,

Luk

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Tertiary education is a crucial period during which students develop lifelong habits, including those related to health and wellness. Such students face new stressors and exhibit unhealthy eating behaviors thatmay lead them to become underweight or overweight. Weight misperception is common among young adults but may vary in prevalence by gender and study program. Such misperception may affect a person’s physical and mental health and lead to aggressive weight control behaviors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the factors affecting weight perception and the relationship between weight perception and mental health among college students. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 553 students at two higher education institutions in Hong Kong during 2021 and 2022. Students aged 18 or older were eligible for inclusion. The key variables included gender, body mass index (BMI), study program, weight perception, weight control behaviors, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) scores. Results The mean age of the participants was 19.6 years; 65.5% of the participants were female; and 53.3% were enrolled in a nursing program. First, stronger agreement between the actual weight and perceived weight was observed in men (Kappa = 0.441) than in women (Kappa = 0.303). Women had a significantly greatertendency to incorrectly perceive themselves as overweight than did men(chi-square test, p < .001). Second, similar levels of agreement were observed in health and non-health students (Kappa = 0.331 and 0.343, respectively),but health students were significantly more likely to perceive themselves as underweight (p = .049). Third, women’s use of weight control behaviors, especially vigorous exercise, walking, and a carbohydrate-based diet, tended to be based on weight perception rather than actual weight, whereas such behaviors were not observed in men. Finally, among students with a normal weight, those who perceived themselves as overweight hadsignificantly higher DASS-21 depression (p =.027), anxiety (p =.001), and stress scores (p =.006) than did their counterparts. Conclusion In our sample, an incorrect weight perception was associated with female gender and found to induce unnecessary weight control behaviors and affect mental health among the college students. These findings indicate the need for comprehensive approaches to address weight-related stress and highlight the importance of promoting healthy weight management in future health education programs and policies.

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Section: Prevalence Of Bmi and Weight Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Weight Perception and Its Impact on Health Behaviors among College Students in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study

Yeung,

Tsang,

Luk

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An alternative explanation for the moderating role of county in the relationship between SWB and BMI also resides in the base weights of the population groups, but focuses on how social comparisons affect individuals’ perception of their own weight and in turn, how these perceptions affect SWB. Evidence suggests individuals adjust perceptions of their own weight based on the weight of those around them ( Ali et al, 2011 ; Christensen and Jæger, 2018 ). Moreover, in settings where larger body sizes are common, a recalibration to the range of what body sizes are perceived as “normal” occurs and the threshold of what constitutes overweight is shifted upward ( Robinson, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the effects of rurality on stress, subjective well-being, and weight-related outcomes

Gold,

Drewnowski,

Andersen

et al. 2023

Wellbeing, Space and Society

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“…In addition, we had a small number of male participants ( n = 23), which limits the generalization of our results to male SNS users. Some researchers indicate that males and females react differently to upward social comparison (Christensen & Jaeger, 2018; Lian et al, 2017), and another future line of inquiry is to examine how female and male SNS users might react to similarity cues in different manners.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Similarity Mindset Matters on Social Media: Using Algorithm-Generated Similarity Metrics to Foster Assimilation in Upward Social Comparison

Kang

Liu

2019

Social Media + Society

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Upward social comparison on social networking sites (SNSs) makes SNS users feel bad about themselves. Would emphasizing overall similarity between SNS users and the upward comparison targets make them feel good about themselves (i.e., assimilation)? We examined this question using a 3 (overall similarity: zero vs. moderate vs. high) × 2 (comparison dimension: physical appearance vs. financial status) between-subjects online experiment with 143 college students. Participants were recommended with a Facebook user who was physically attractive or financially successful (i.e., an upward comparison target). Right before seeing more details about the target, participants saw a visual cue indicating they shared zero (0%), moderate (50%), or high (90%) overall similarity with the target purported to be algorithm-generated. Results revealed that after seeing images showing the target’s physical attractiveness or financial success, those who shared moderate and high overall similarity with the target rated themselves more positively on physical appearance and financial status and also reported higher liking for the target, the effect of which was mediated by perceived similarity with the target. Moderate, but not high overall similarity improved participants’ life satisfaction. Theoretical and design implications are discussed in light of our findings.

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Weight and social comparison: Does the weight of a stranger affect a person’s perception of their own weight?

Cited by 4 publications

References 72 publications

Weight Perception and Its Impact on Health Behaviors among College Students in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study

Weight Perception and Its Impact on Health Behaviors among College Students in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study

Investigating the effects of rurality on stress, subjective well-being, and weight-related outcomes

A Similarity Mindset Matters on Social Media: Using Algorithm-Generated Similarity Metrics to Foster Assimilation in Upward Social Comparison

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