Having a positive body image is linked to better psychological wellbeing and life satisfaction globally. The corresponding study was published in Body Image.
Positive body image is a complex construct and consists of many facets, including functionality appreciation and body image flexibility. Research shows, however, that 'body appreciation' provides the most precise measurement of core positive body image. Body appreciation is defined as 'accepting, holding favourable opinions toward, and respecteing the body, while also rejecting media-promoted appearance ideals as the only form of human beauty'.
Research suggests that body appreciation is linked to lower eating pathology, less risk for psychopathology, more self-compassion, and more health-promoting behaviors, including preventative sexual health and preventative cancer behaviors.
The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a 10-item psychometric instrument used to assess body image. It includes items such as 'I respect my body' and "I appreciate the different and unique characteristics of my body'. Understanding whether the BAS-2 can be used across different cultural groups could allow for its more widespread use.
In the current study, researchers gathered responses to the BAS-2 from 56, 968 individuals from 65 nations across multiple continents between November 2020 and February 2022. Ultimately, they found that across nations, greater body appreciation was significantly linked to higher life satisfaction, being single and living in rural areas. They further found that greater body appreciation was linked to greater cultural distance from the US and greater relative income inequality.
D. Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), lead author of the study, said in a press release: "This is one of the largest studies on body image ever carried out, brought about by a collaborative research effort involving over 250 scientists across the world. Our finding that greater body appreciation is associated with better psychological wellbeing highlights the importance of developing ways to promote more positive body image globally."
"Also, people who live in urban areas may feel stronger pressure to conform to body ideals promoted by Western society, and it is also notable that people from countries considered culturally different to the United States appeared to have broadly greater body appreciation. People in rural areas may also benefit from being in nature, which past research has also shown to be linked with positive body image," he added.
The researchers wrote that their findings should be considered in light of a 'number of constraints'. These include that their samples were recruited opportunistically and thus may not fully represent their respective nations. They added that countries in several regions, such as Africa, Central Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America, were under-represented in their data.
Sources: Science Daily, Body Image
