While bunk shit like the dad bod and kale continue to exist, so will the widespread misconception that women are more self-conscious than men. I don’t blame anyone for believing this, honestly. I certainly did before I heard about the recent study in Body Image which surveyed 12,176 adult men and women (via online surveys) about their personal feelings on body image, focusing particularly on weight and physical appearance.
The results show that almost the same percentage of men were “very to extremely dissatisfied” with their weight as women. With respect to appearance, only 6 percent of men reported being “very to extremely dissatisfied.” In comparison, only 9 percent of women so reported.
Regarding satisfaction, 28 percent of men were “very to extremely satisfied” with their appearance, as were 26 percent of women (does anyone like how they look? honestly…).
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
On the issue of weight again, 24 percent of men communicated being “very to extremely satisfied,” and 20 percent of women felt likewise.
Arguably the most intriguing aspect of the study was the discovery by researchers that “dissatisfied people had higher neuroticism, [were] more preoccupied and [had] fearful attachment styles, and spent more hours watching television.” Moreover, satisfied people who reported higher self-esteem, were more open and extroverted, as well as generally content with their lives.