Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- The study compared personality traits and obesity views among more than 3,000 mothers.
- The results showed that the personality traits neuroticism and extraversion are linked to more negative views and behaviors related to obesity.
- People who scored high in conscientiousness are more likely to experience “fat phobia.
A new study explores the relationship between personality traits and attitudes toward obesity, revealing that one’s level of neuroticism is linked to anti-obesity views.
It’s long been known that certain personality traits seem to have a considerable impact on the ways in which individuals view their own bodies. For example, people who lean toward neuroticism are more likely to hold negative views about their own bodies, while highly conscientious people are less likely to be obese. What’s new about this study is that it examined the relationship between individuals’ personalities and their views about obesity in others.
“There is a social dimension to body weight,” study co-author Angelina Sutin, associate professor in FSU’s College of Medicine, told Florida State University News. “People have attitudes about body weight and what contributes to obesity. People also often vocalize their fears about how they look and what they need to do to lose weight. We wanted to know whether personality contributes to this social experience.”
The study, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, used the five-factor model to measure personality traits. This model, also known as…
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