title: The harmful and beneficial impacts of weight bias on well-being: the moderating influence of weight status.
abstract: Weight bias is evident among normal weight and obese individuals. This weight bias may be associated with comparisons to others, which may enhance feelings of self-worth. However, the ego-enhancing versus ego-diminishing influence of these evaluations may be moderated by the individual's weight status, and the strength of these effects may be moderated by gender. Eight-five participants completed the Implicit Associations Test, questionnaires assessing explicit weight bias, body image, and self-esteem, and height and weight assessments. Implicit weight bias was prevalent among all individuals, p<.001, and was associated with a more positive body image, ps<.05, and higher self-esteem, ps<.01, for thinner individuals but a more negative body image and lower self-esteem for heavier individuals. Gender moderation effects were not observed. It is arguably problematic that the positive benefits to normal weight individuals' self-esteem and body image appear to come via negative comparisons with overweight individuals.
authors.affiliation: Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43402, USA. agumble@bgsu.edu
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gumble
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carels
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D012928:Social Desirability; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*; D014936:Word Association Tests; D055815:Young Adult