It is not obesity but the stigma that comes with obesity that is making people unhappy and miserable, several studies show.
According to The New York Times, "Being overweight doesn't necessarily make a person distraught, researchers are learning. Rather, it's the teasing, judgment and unsolicited advice directed at overweight people that can cause the greatest psychological harm."
Fat stigma is defined as the negative impression that a person or a group of people have over overweight individuals. And this is what is making such a huge negative impact on the society, most especially to those affected by this negativity. Psychology Today cites some examples of this fat stigma. Disapproving looks from the public, people thinking you take up too much space, a potential employer who may lose interest as soon as he sees the overweight applicant, and even snide remarks such as "You would look so nice if you just lost some weight" - all these are just examples of the stigma that most people have on individuals who are obese.
A study in the Social and Personality Psychology Compass showed that the effect of fat stigma could be devastating, especially to those who have had weight-based discrimination in the past. Low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and substance abuse were some of the psychological affects that's brought about by this negative experience.
Aside from affecting one's mental health, it can also have physical consequences as another study in New Jersey showed. Fat stigma resulted to an increase in the hormone cortisol, which is a marker of stress. This increase in cortisol levels also brought about an increase in calorie intake.
With all these studies shedding light unto the negative effects of fat stigma, the alarming thing about is it that this is now spreading across all facets of society including education and health care, according to Huffington Post. And with the increasing presence of this negativity in different sectors of the community comes the increased number of individuals affected by it.
