Why You Should Quit Talking About How Fat You Are

Two reasons you should quit talking about how fat you are: 1. it’s boring, and 2. nobody wants to listen to people talk about their fat problems. OK, only reason number 2 is backed by research, but a single reason should be sufficiently persuasive to keep most people off the subject. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame showed groups of women a series of photos of either noticeably thin or noticeably overweight women engaging in either “fat talk” or positive body talk. The women were then asked to rate the women on various dimensions, including how likeable they were. The researchers found that the women in the photos were rated significantly less likeable when they made “fat talk” statements about their bodies, whether or not they were overweight. The women rated most likeable were the overweight women who made positive statements about their bodies. The researchers acknowledge that fat talk is one way women may attempt to initiate and strengthen their social bonds. Still, they say, it weakens more bonds than it strengthens. Read more from Notre Dame.