Billy Crystal’s “Fernando” would agree with this research, as he would regularly proclaim, “It is better to look good than to feel good, my friends!” This research indicates that teens who “think they are fat” act as if they are, significantly more so than teens who actually are overweight. The results were especially true for girls. Research like this demonstrates the importance, once again, the role of cognitions in terms of impacting our behavior (according to the article, teens who thought they were overweight forfeited much of their “quality of life,” although this wasn’t specifically defined). Perception really is reality in many situations.
Billy Crystal’s “Fernando” would agree with this research, as he would regularly proclaim, “It is better to look good than to feel good, my friends!” This research indicates that teens who “think they are fat” act as if they are, significantly more so than teens who actually are overweight. The results were especially true for girls. Research like this demonstrates the importance, once again, the role of cognitions in terms of impacting our behavior (according to the article, teens who thought they were overweight forfeited much of their “quality of life,” although this wasn’t specifically defined). Perception really is reality in many situations.