Obesity is often linked to a range of health concerns, from chronic diseases to emotional stress and mood disorders. But does gaining weight always affect your happiness? A recent study reveals that the relationship between body weight and emotional well-being is more complex than previously thought, suggesting that, for some people, gaining weight might slightly boost happiness.
The latest study published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology investigated how weight gain directly influences happiness over time using data from nearly 9000 participants from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). The researchers excluded both extremely overweight and underweight participants to avoid outlier bias.
While a traditional analysis suggested a slight negative link between BMI and happiness when researchers examined the causal effects, they found that weight gain was not tied to happiness for both men and women. They noted that an increase in BMI either had no impact on happiness or, in some cases, even led to a slight increase in happiness. These findings held true across all age groups and BMI categories, including those classified as overweight or moderately obese.
“Perhaps being overweight has a negative impact on satisfaction, but then possibly only for a short time, until people have become accustomed to the weight,” said Felix Bittmann, lead author of the study.
The researcher explained that this could be the potential reason why obesity has become prevalent in many countries, as people may not experience any psychological incentive to lose weight. If gaining weight does not significantly impact their happiness, they may be less inclined to invest the time and effort required to make changes, such as losing weight or improving their lifestyle.
“Surprisingly, there is no evidence of a negative effect of obesity on life satisfaction. This is good insofar as this problem does not appear to directly affect the psyche. The indirect effects are of course still there, as people who are overweight have poorer health and shorter lifespans. In this respect, the study seems to me to be particularly relevant in demonstrating why so many people are overweight: it hardly burdens them psychologically, which is why they have little incentive to lose the excess weight,” Bittmann added.
Obesity is often linked to a range of health concerns, from chronic diseases to emotional stress and mood disorders. But does gaining weight always affect your happiness? A recent study reveals that the relationship between body weight and emotional well-being is more complex than previously thought, suggesting that, for some people, gaining weight might slightly boost happiness. The latest study published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology investigated how weight gain directly influences happiness over time using data from nearly 9000 participants from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). The researchers excluded both extremely overweight and underweight participants to avoid outlier bias. While a traditional analysis suggested a slight negative link between BMI and happiness when researchers examined the causal effects, they found that weight gain was not tied to happiness for both men and women. They noted that an increase in BMI either had no impact on happiness or, in some cases, even led to a slight increase in happiness. These findings held true across all age groups and BMI categories, including those classified as overweight or moderately obese. “Perhaps being overweight has a negative impact on satisfaction, but then possibly only for a short time, until people have become accustomed to the weight,” said Felix Bittmann, lead author of the study. The researcher explained that this could be the potential reason why obesity has become prevalent in many countries, as people may not experience any psychological incentive to lose weight. If gaining weight does not significantly impact their happiness, they may be less inclined to invest the time and effort required to make changes, such as losing weight or improving their lifestyle. “Surprisingly, there is no evidence of a negative effect of obesity on life satisfaction. This is good insofar as this problem does not appear to directly affect the psyche. The indirect effects are of course still there, as people who are overweight have poorer health and shorter lifespans. In this respect, the study seems to me to be particularly relevant in demonstrating why so many people are overweight: it hardly burdens them psychologically, which is why they have little incentive to lose the excess weight,” Bittmann added.
