Research Suggests that We Assume Overweight People Lack Self-Control

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Do you have an anti-fat bias?

Suppose you are shown a picture of two new coworkers, one thin and one overweight or obese: What judgments might you make about these two coworkers based on their body weight and body size? For instance, would they appear to you equally competent (i.e. dominant, skillful, intelligent, efficient) and warm (i.e. friendly, trustworthy, kind, helpful, sincere)?

Think about these questions as I describe the findings of three studies by Bryksina et al., published in the August 2021 issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science. The paper concludes body size (i.e. being thin vs. overweight or obese) influences judgments of warmth and competence.

Investigating body size and judgments of competence and warmth

Study 1

The sample comprised 482 participants (44% female, average age of 36 years) from Mechanical Turk, randomly assigned to one of six conditions: target’s gender (male or female) X target’s body size (below vs. average vs. above).

Participants read a scenario regarding a person (“target”) and rated the target’s various attributes: warmth (“warm, kind, nurturing, and a nice person”), competence (“independent, organized, respected by others, and high in social status”), self-control, emotional expressiveness, and attractiveness (being “attractive, good-looking, sexy, and beautiful”).

Analysis of data showed heavier targets were seen as warmer and more emotionally expressive but less attractive, less competent, and possessing less self-control.

Study 2

This was a conceptual replication of the first investigation, though the body size manipulation was presented visually instead of verbally (i.e. no written scenarios).

The sample consisted of 349 people (47% female, average age of 35 years). There were four conditions: target’s gender (male/female) X body size (heavy vs. thin).

Pictures of targets were manipulated using Photoshop. Participants were presented with a picture of a target and rated the person’s warmth (being warm, good-natured, caring, nurturing), competence (being competent, capable, intelligent, confident), self-control, and emotional expressiveness.

The results agreed with those of the above investigation.

Study 3

Here, the researchers manipulated perceptions of self-control and emotional expressiveness to determine if these traits can explain the observed inferences of warmth and competence in relation to body weight and size.

Sample: 481 individuals; 45% female; mean age of 34 years. Six conditions were used: target’s gender X target descriptions (low expressiveness and low self-control vs. high expressiveness and low self-control vs. low expressiveness and high self-control).

For example, the target with low emotional expressiveness and low self-control was characterized as not very emotional, nor good at resisting temptation or working toward long-term goals, etc.

After reading three target descriptions, participants viewed a photo of the target (who was of average weight) and evaluated him or her in terms of competence (being competent, capable, effective, skillful), and warmth (being warm, generous, kind, nurturing).

Analysis of data suggested the high expressiveness condition was associated with higher warmth ratings, while the high self-control condition was associated with higher competence ratings.

In short, when a target of average weight was described as more emotionally expressive, he or she was perceived as warmer; when the target was described as having higher self-control, he or she was perceived as more competent.

Overweight and warm vs. thin and competent?

In summary, though body weight and size have been previously linked with judgments of beauty and attractiveness, the present findings suggest body size also influences judgments of warmth and competence:

• Thinner individuals (compared to heavier) are judged as more competent. Why? Perhaps because being thin signals a greater ability to exercise self-control.
• Heavier individuals are perceived as warmer, while thinner ones are perceived as emotionally constricted, possibly because body size signals emotional expressiveness.

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These findings agree with previous research. For instance—as discussed in an article on the influence of body shapes (e.g., classically feminine, rectangular) on first impressions—people typically assume thinner individuals are more cautious and disciplined, while heavier ones are more careless, lazy, and disorganized. Of course, in the present investigations, heavier people were seen as warmer and more capable of showing emotions; nevertheless, they were also seen as lacking competence and self-control.

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Not judging by appearances

Severely overweight or obese people are painfully familiar with fatphobia and obesity stigma (e.g., fat shaming)—with various assumptions linking greater weight with qualities like gluttony, poor hygiene, laziness, lack of willpower, and especially, low competence. Though a minority of fat stereotypes are “positive” (e.g., happy, fun, jolly, warm), all stereotypes are fixed or oversimplified beliefs; they ignore differences and reduce human beings to caricatures.

What the research by Bryksina and colleagues found is that weight stereotypes and stigma may occur even if a person is only moderately overweight. Or underweight. This suggests obesity stigma and anti-fat bias but also anti-thin bias are more prevalent than assumed.

Here's the takeaway:

It is important to keep in mind your own weight biases when judging a stranger’s self-control, competence, warmth, or emotional expressiveness.

Be it evaluating a political candidate, a new student, a job applicant, or a romantic date, weight biases can be highly consequential. Of course, the same applies to evaluating yourself. Yes, I am referring to self-stigma. Indeed, obese people “often endorse the same negative stereotypes of obese individuals as do those who are thinner; they also display high levels of explicit and implicit anti-fat prejudice”

One way to try to reduce and overcome obesity stigma and anti-fat bias, and more generally, any weight bias, is to remind ourselves of coworkers, friends, neighbors, or acquaintances who do not fit these stereotypes. For example, we might recall a very loving relative who happens to be thin or a very competent classmate on the heavier side. Doing so could guard against premature judgments based solely on appearances, allowing us to move past stereotypes and really get to know others. And, importantly, to get to know ourselves.