Looking at the figures : Visual adaptation as a mechanism for body-size and -shape misperception

Journal article


Brooks, Kevin R., Mond, Jonathan, Mitchison, Deborah, Stevenson, Richard J., Challinor, Kirsten L. and Stephen, Ian D.. (2020). Looking at the figures : Visual adaptation as a mechanism for body-size and -shape misperception. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 15(1), pp. 133-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619869331
AuthorsBrooks, Kevin R., Mond, Jonathan, Mitchison, Deborah, Stevenson, Richard J., Challinor, Kirsten L. and Stephen, Ian D.
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.

Keywordsbody image; adaptation; distortion; vision; eating disorders; body dysmorphia; misperception
Year2020
JournalPerspectives on Psychological Science
Journal citation15 (1), pp. 133-149
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc.
ISSN1745-6916
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619869331
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85074658500
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range133-149
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online14 Nov 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited17 Nov 2021
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