Having a more positive body image is strongly associated with better psychological well-being.
- Single people and people in rural areas appreciate their bodies more.
- Adults with a more positive body image enjoy better psychological well-being.
- Among the 65 countries surveyed, Malta had the highest body appreciation score.
Feeling good about yourself is often easier said than done. But recently, researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (England) highlighted how important it is to accept and love your body to be happier and enjoy better mental health. As part of their study, the scientists recruited 56,968 adults from 65 countries. The research focused on “body appreciation“, defined as “accept, have a favorable opinion towards the body and respect it, while rejecting the standards of beauty promoted by the media”. Thus, participants were asked to complete the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2). This is a questionnaire containing 10 items on the perception of their body.
Single people and people in rural areas appreciate their bodies more
The results, published in the journal Body Image, showed that, across countries, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with better psychological well-being. According to the data, having a positive body image was higher among single people and those living in rural areas. “Adults who live in urban areas may feel greater pressure to meet the beauty standards promoted by Western society, and especially people from countries considered culturally different from the United States appear to have greater Body appreciation. People in rural areas may also benefit from contact with nature, which previous research has also shown to be linked to positive body image. has explained Viren Swamiprofessor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and lead author of the study.
“The importance of developing ways to promote a more positive body image”
The team noted differences in body appreciation scores across the 65 countries. Only India and Australia scored lower than the UK in terms of body appreciation. Malta has the highest score, followed by Taiwan and Bangladesh. “This is one of the largest body image studies ever conducted, the result of a collaborative research effort involving more than 250 scientists from around the world. Our finding highlights the importance of developing ways to promote a more positive body image on a global scale”, concluded the researcher.
