The weight of words: An investigation on the impact of stereotypical body language on body dissatisfaction

Body image research is extensive, producing various tools to assess body dissatisfaction and related factors. Despite this, eating disorder rates remain high. This study investigates the relationship between self-schemas, the lexical frameworks of body-related words, and their impact on body shape dissatisfaction. Sociocultural pressures to conform to beauty standards make body image talk ubiquitous and influential. Previous studies primarily used explicit measures, like self-reports, which are subject to biases, whereas implicit measures reveal underlying cognitive mechanisms. This study employed the Stunkard Figure Scale to measure body dissatisfaction and the Body Appreciation Scale 2 to assess body appreciation, examining cognitive biases towards stereotype-congruent words using a lexical decision task. Results showed no significant correlation between body image discrepancy and response times to body image words. Nonetheless, all participants responded faster to stereotype-congruent words, indicating pervasive cognitive biases. These findings enhance our understanding of the profound influence of body image talk on cognitive processes.