intrasexual competition and eating restriction in heterosexual and homosexual individuals
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Intrasexual competition and eating restriction in heterosexual and homosexual individuals . by Lizzie Bell and Vanessa Bobadilla . Introduction . Approximately 11 million Americans suffer from eating disorders. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Intrasexual competition and eating restriction in heterosexual
and homosexual individuals by
Lizzie Bell and Vanessa Bobadilla
Approximately 11 million Americans suffer from eating disorders.
Viewing thin women in the media negatively impacts women’s body image satisfaction.
Introduction
Adaptive reproductive suppression◦ Unfavorable conditions cause some female
mammals to temporarily halt fertility through the restriction of eating. An example of such conditions is a perceived lack
of social support for childrearing and local norms valuing women in the workforce.
Background Studies
Adaptive mechanisms for intrasexual competition. ◦ Attraction tactics
Heterosexual Men: youth + fertility = physical attractiveness/desirable mate
Homosexual Men: youth + physical attractiveness = desirable mate
Background studies
Study 1 hypothesis: Cues to intrasexual competition among women, but not among men, would be manifest in concerns of thinness and restrictive eating attitudes.
Study 2 hypothesis: Intrasexual competition cues should also lead to more negative body image in heterosexual women and gay men.
Current Studies
Restrictive eating attitudes more prevalent in women than men.
Methods◦ Priming intrasexual competition
Profile picture with self-description (competitive vs. noncompetitive)
◦ Eating attitudes 26-item Eating Attitudes Test
Higher EAT scores are associated with more restrictive and eating-averse attitudes.
◦ Competitiveness and appearance satisfaction Questions (1= strongly disagree, 9= strongly agree)
Study 1: Intrasexual Competition and Eating Attitudes
Results
Fig. 1. Influence of intrasexual competition motives on eating restriction
Study 1: Intrasexual Competition and Eating Attitudes
Discussion◦ Exposure to competitive vs. noncompetitive
same-sex others led to changes in women’s, but not in men’s eating attitudes.
◦ This pattern of results is consistent with women’s desire to be thin, showing intrasexual competition.
Study 1: Intrasexual Competition and Eating Attitudes
Intrasexual competition cues should lead to more negative body image in heterosexual women and gay men.
• Methods (Same as study 1’s) PLUS…
34-item Body Shape Questionnaire Kinsey Scale of Sexual Orientation
(0= exclusively heterosexual, 6=exclusively homosexual)
Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals
Results
Fig. 2. Influence of intrasexual competition motives on eating restriction in heterosexual individuals
Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals
Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals
Fig. 3. Influence of intrasexual competition motives on eating restriction in homosexual individuals
Results◦ Body Image Concerns
Heterosexual women and gay men reported greater body image concerns in the competitive condition than in the noncompetitive condition.
Heterosexual men and lesbian women did not differ in body image concerns between conditions.
Discussion◦ Exposure to intrasexual competition cues had a very
different effect on eating attitudes on body image depending on individual’s sex and sexual orientation.
◦ These findings support the intrasexual competition hypothesis for thinness-related eating restriction.
Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals
As predicted by the hypotheses, cues to intrasexual competition led heterosexual women and gay men to report worse body image and more restrictive eating attitudes. ◦ Results extend beyond the adaptive reproductive
suppression hypothesis.◦ Because manipulations of intrasexual competition
consisted of pictures of normal-weight, average-looking peers, findings suggest triggers for restrictive eating may be broader than previously considered.
General Discussion
These findings support the idea that the ultimate explanation for eating disorders is related to intrasexual competition, particularly in heterosexual women and gay men, whose mates value physical attractiveness and thinness.
Conclusion