Looking at the Figures: Visual Adaptation as a Mechanism for Body-Size and -Shape Misperception
Authors: Brooks, K.R., Mond, J., Mitchison, D., Stevenson, R.J., Challinor, K.L. and Stephen, I.D.
Journal: Perspectives on Psychological Science
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Pages: 133-149
eISSN: 1745-6924
ISSN: 1745-6916
DOI: 10.1177/1745691619869331
Abstract:Many individuals experience body-size and -shape misperception (BSSM). Body-size overestimation is associated with body dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, and the development of eating disorders in individuals who desire to be thinner. Similar symptoms have been noted for those who underestimate their muscularity. Conversely, individuals with high body mass indices (BMI) who underestimate their adiposity may not recognize the risks of or seek help for obesity-related medical issues. Although social scientists have examined whether media representations of idealized bodies contribute to the overestimation of fat or underestimation of muscle, other scientists suggest that increases in the prevalence of obesity could explain body-fat underestimation as a form of renormalization. However, these disparate approaches have not advanced our understanding of the perceptual underpinnings of BSSM. Recently, a new unifying account of BSSM has emerged that is based on the long-established phenomenon of visual adaptation, employing psychophysical measurements of perceived size and shape following exposure to “extreme” body stimuli. By inducing BSSM in the laboratory as an aftereffect, this technique is rapidly advancing our understanding of the underlying mental representation of human bodies. This nascent approach provides insight into real-world BSSM and may inform the development of therapeutic and public-health interventions designed to address such perceptual errors.
Source: Scopus
Looking at the Figures: Visual Adaptation as a Mechanism for Body-Size and -Shape Misperception.
Authors: Brooks, K.R., Mond, J., Mitchison, D., Stevenson, R.J., Challinor, K.L. and Stephen, I.D.
Journal: Perspect Psychol Sci
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Pages: 133-149
eISSN: 1745-6924
DOI: 10.1177/1745691619869331
Abstract:Many individuals experience body-size and -shape misperception (BSSM). Body-size overestimation is associated with body dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, and the development of eating disorders in individuals who desire to be thinner. Similar symptoms have been noted for those who underestimate their muscularity. Conversely, individuals with high body mass indices (BMI) who underestimate their adiposity may not recognize the risks of or seek help for obesity-related medical issues. Although social scientists have examined whether media representations of idealized bodies contribute to the overestimation of fat or underestimation of muscle, other scientists suggest that increases in the prevalence of obesity could explain body-fat underestimation as a form of renormalization. However, these disparate approaches have not advanced our understanding of the perceptual underpinnings of BSSM. Recently, a new unifying account of BSSM has emerged that is based on the long-established phenomenon of visual adaptation, employing psychophysical measurements of perceived size and shape following exposure to "extreme" body stimuli. By inducing BSSM in the laboratory as an aftereffect, this technique is rapidly advancing our understanding of the underlying mental representation of human bodies. This nascent approach provides insight into real-world BSSM and may inform the development of therapeutic and public-health interventions designed to address such perceptual errors.
Source: PubMed
Looking at the Figures: Visual Adaptation as a Mechanism for Body-Size and -Shape Misperception
Authors: Brooks, K.R., Mond, J., Mitchison, D., Stevenson, R.J., Challinor, K.L. and Stephen, I.D.
Journal: PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Pages: 133-149
eISSN: 1745-6924
ISSN: 1745-6916
DOI: 10.1177/1745691619869331
Source: Web of Science (Lite)
Looking at the Figures: Visual Adaptation as a Mechanism for Body-Size and -Shape Misperception.
Authors: Brooks, K.R., Mond, J., Mitchison, D., Stevenson, R.J., Challinor, K.L. and Stephen, I.D.
Journal: Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Pages: 133-149
eISSN: 1745-6924
ISSN: 1745-6916
DOI: 10.1177/1745691619869331
Abstract:Many individuals experience body-size and -shape misperception (BSSM). Body-size overestimation is associated with body dissatisfaction, anxiety, depression, and the development of eating disorders in individuals who desire to be thinner. Similar symptoms have been noted for those who underestimate their muscularity. Conversely, individuals with high body mass indices (BMI) who underestimate their adiposity may not recognize the risks of or seek help for obesity-related medical issues. Although social scientists have examined whether media representations of idealized bodies contribute to the overestimation of fat or underestimation of muscle, other scientists suggest that increases in the prevalence of obesity could explain body-fat underestimation as a form of renormalization. However, these disparate approaches have not advanced our understanding of the perceptual underpinnings of BSSM. Recently, a new unifying account of BSSM has emerged that is based on the long-established phenomenon of visual adaptation, employing psychophysical measurements of perceived size and shape following exposure to "extreme" body stimuli. By inducing BSSM in the laboratory as an aftereffect, this technique is rapidly advancing our understanding of the underlying mental representation of human bodies. This nascent approach provides insight into real-world BSSM and may inform the development of therapeutic and public-health interventions designed to address such perceptual errors.
Source: Europe PubMed Central