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Mindsets of Body Weight

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The Science of Lay Theories

Abstract

Obesity is currently the second leading cause of death in many industrialized nations, leading to various campaigns aimed at increasing awareness. Thus, the public is constantly bombarded with messages about the etiology of obesity and presented with strategies for prevention (e.g., the obesity is a disease decision by the American Medical Association in the United States versus the Change4Life campaign in the United Kingdom, which focuses on eating less and moving more). These weight management messages highlight the fundamental issue of whether people should believe that body weight is a fixed entity or malleable attribute. Such a lay belief is often termed an implicit theory or mindset. In the current chapter, we offer an overview of the empirical research regarding the consequences of these weight-based mindsets for a range of significant outcomes—from self-regulation, to fat stigma, to body shame. Overall, believing weight is changeable predicts more effective self-regulation and can also lead to reduced shame and stigma, if blame can be reduced. The discussion outlines implications of weight-based mindsets for interventions and highlights avenues for future inquiry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, 640 Poe Hall, Box 7650, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Jeni L. Burnette & Kasey Orvidas

  2. Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond, Virginia, USA

    Crystal L. Hoyt

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  1. Jeni L. Burnette
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA

    Claire M. Zedelius

  2. Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Barbara C. N. Müller

  3. Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA

    Jonathan W. Schooler

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Burnette, J.L., Hoyt, C.L., Orvidas, K. (2017). Mindsets of Body Weight. In: Zedelius, C., Müller, B., Schooler, J. (eds) The Science of Lay Theories. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57306-9_13

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