Obese People Don’t See Themselves as Fat

Despite rampant fat-phobia, many obese people do not see themselves as fat and unhealthy; according to findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

For the study, scientists assessed the body awareness of more than 2,000 men and women already participating in a heart study, using a survey to determine how they perceive their bodies.

The researchers asked participants to look at pictures and choose their ideal body size. People who picked figures that were the same or larger than their actual body size were classified as “misperceiving” their body size; not seeing themselves as less healthy, at higher risk of disease, or needing to lose weight.

But the “misperceiving” individuals were also more likely to be happier, unlike the study participants who acknowledge they are fat and out of shape who tend to be less happy.

Important factors were considered. Scientists found people with higher incomes and better education were no more likely to perceive their body weight accurately, than less educated people, or those with lower incomes.

The overarching problem with these findings is misperceiving body size/weight does not lessen the health risks; being overweight or obese raises your risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and more.