title: Beauty in the eye of the beholder: Using facial electromyography to examine the association between eating disorder symptoms and perceptions of emaciation among undergraduate women.
abstract: Thin-ideal internalization, drive for thinness, and over-evaluation of the importance of thinness are associated with eating disorders (EDs). However, little research has examined to what extent perceptions of emaciation are also associated with ED symptoms. In the present study, 80 undergraduate women self-reported on ED symptomatology and perceptions of emaciated, thin, and overweight female bodies. While participants viewed images of these different body types, facial electromyography was used to measure activation of facial muscles associated with disgust reactions. Emaciated and overweight bodies were rated negatively and elicited facial responses consistent with disgust. Further, ED symptomatology was associated with pronounced aversion to overweight bodies (assessed via self-report pleasantness ratings), and attenuated negative affect to emaciated bodies (assessed via facial electromyography). The latter association was significant even when controlling for self-reported perceptions of emaciation, suggesting that psychophysiological methods in ED research may provide valuable information unavailable via self-report.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056, United States. Electronic address: dodddr@miamioh.edu.
authors.forename: Dorian R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056, United States.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Velkoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056, United States.
authors.forename: Lauren N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Forrest
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056, United States.
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fussner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056, United States.
authors.forename: April
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001504:Beauty; D004576:Electromyography; D004614:Emaciation / Q000523:psychology*; D005145:Face; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology; D010465:Perception; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D057566:Self Report; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Body image; Eating disorders; Emaciation; Facial electromyography; Thin-ideal