Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship?
Previous research has shown an association between body dissatisfaction and attentional biases toward the body, but the nature of this relationship is not clear. It is possible that dissatisfaction causes attentional bias or that dissatisfaction is a result of such bias. To clarify the causal relati...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/17/5659 |
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| author | María Teresa Mendoza-Medialdea Franck-Alexandre Meschberger-Annweiler Mariarca Ascione Alejandra Rueda-Pina Elisa Rabarbari Bruno Porras-Garcia Marta Ferrer-Garcia José Gutiérrez-Maldonado |
| author_facet | María Teresa Mendoza-Medialdea Franck-Alexandre Meschberger-Annweiler Mariarca Ascione Alejandra Rueda-Pina Elisa Rabarbari Bruno Porras-Garcia Marta Ferrer-Garcia José Gutiérrez-Maldonado |
| author_sort | María Teresa Mendoza-Medialdea |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Previous research has shown an association between body dissatisfaction and attentional biases toward the body, but the nature of this relationship is not clear. It is possible that dissatisfaction causes attentional bias or that dissatisfaction is a result of such bias. To clarify the causal relationship between these two variables, this study manipulated dissatisfaction in a sample of healthy women by exposing them to images of “ideal” bodies and observed whether this manipulation increased attentional biases toward different body parts. Fifty-seven women took part in a pre–post experimental design in which they observed an avatar representing themselves in a virtual mirror before and after being exposed to “thin ideal” photographs. Eye-tracking technology was employed to quantify the frequency and duration of fixations on weight-related and weight-unrelated body parts. The outcomes revealed a successful induction of body dissatisfaction, leading participants to display a heightened number of fixations and prolonged fixation durations on unrelated-weight body parts. These findings remained significant after controlling for the effects of trait body dissatisfaction and body mass index. The results imply that heightened body dissatisfaction fosters the aversion of attention from weight-related body parts, which may function as a protective mechanism for preserving self-esteem and promoting psychological well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:19:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4364fdb3c8ff4f46b9bd0a4fdd615356 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0383 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:19:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-4364fdb3c8ff4f46b9bd0a4fdd6153562023-11-19T08:23:38ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832023-08-011217565910.3390/jcm12175659Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship?María Teresa Mendoza-Medialdea0Franck-Alexandre Meschberger-Annweiler1Mariarca Ascione2Alejandra Rueda-Pina3Elisa Rabarbari4Bruno Porras-Garcia5Marta Ferrer-Garcia6José Gutiérrez-Maldonado7Department of Psychology, Universidad de Jaén, Paraje las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, SpainDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de Vall d’Hebron 175, 08035 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de Vall d’Hebron 175, 08035 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de Vall d’Hebron 175, 08035 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de Vall d’Hebron 175, 08035 Barcelona, SpainBrain, Cognition, and Behavior Research Group, Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa (CST), Ctr. Torrebonica, s/n, 08227 Terrassa, SpainDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de Vall d’Hebron 175, 08035 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de Vall d’Hebron 175, 08035 Barcelona, SpainPrevious research has shown an association between body dissatisfaction and attentional biases toward the body, but the nature of this relationship is not clear. It is possible that dissatisfaction causes attentional bias or that dissatisfaction is a result of such bias. To clarify the causal relationship between these two variables, this study manipulated dissatisfaction in a sample of healthy women by exposing them to images of “ideal” bodies and observed whether this manipulation increased attentional biases toward different body parts. Fifty-seven women took part in a pre–post experimental design in which they observed an avatar representing themselves in a virtual mirror before and after being exposed to “thin ideal” photographs. Eye-tracking technology was employed to quantify the frequency and duration of fixations on weight-related and weight-unrelated body parts. The outcomes revealed a successful induction of body dissatisfaction, leading participants to display a heightened number of fixations and prolonged fixation durations on unrelated-weight body parts. These findings remained significant after controlling for the effects of trait body dissatisfaction and body mass index. The results imply that heightened body dissatisfaction fosters the aversion of attention from weight-related body parts, which may function as a protective mechanism for preserving self-esteem and promoting psychological well-being.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/17/5659body dissatisfactionattentional biaseye trackingvirtual realityavoidance |
| spellingShingle | María Teresa Mendoza-Medialdea Franck-Alexandre Meschberger-Annweiler Mariarca Ascione Alejandra Rueda-Pina Elisa Rabarbari Bruno Porras-Garcia Marta Ferrer-Garcia José Gutiérrez-Maldonado Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship? Journal of Clinical Medicine body dissatisfaction attentional bias eye tracking virtual reality avoidance |
| title | Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship? |
| title_full | Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship? |
| title_fullStr | Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship? |
| title_short | Body Dissatisfaction and Body-Related Attentional Bias: Is There a Causal Relationship? |
| title_sort | body dissatisfaction and body related attentional bias is there a causal relationship |
| topic | body dissatisfaction attentional bias eye tracking virtual reality avoidance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/17/5659 |
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