Found this article in today's Independent which offers some food for thought (groan) around how some of those bizarre medical myths have actually led to breakthroughs in modern science.
Just wondered what readers may think of the proclamation that fat people are more jolly, which says:
Ever since Falstaff, fatness has been associated with jollity. According to psychologists at Lakehead University in Canada, the "jolly fat" hypothesis might actually be true, at least among women. Not only have they found a link, they suggest a mechanism, too: oestrogen.
They put forward the idea that body fat protects women again[st] negative moods. In other words, the fatter a woman is, the less depressed she gets.
In the two-part research, the team looked at Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure that takes into account both weight and height, and compared it with mood in a group of young women. They found that the higher the BMI and body size, the lower the number of symptoms of depression, anxiety and negative mood. In fact, the most depressed were all thin, while the largest were the least miserable.
For explanations, the psychologists turned to biochemical research that suggested the possibility of a link between oestrogen and mood, and the brain chemical, serotonin, the target of widely used antidepressant drugs. They say very potent oestrogens are primarily found in fatty tissues, suggesting that women with higher body weight may have higher levels.
Hmmm? There may be higher levels of oestrogen, but for any beneficial effect in increased happiness they may have, I'm sure our negative body images, if present at a higher weight, can easily counter them.
I was far more depressed when I was overweight than I am now, just because I felt unhappy with my weight, so even if I had more oestrogen, the perceptions I had about my size easily overcame any mood-enhancing 'Brucie Bonueses' I may have had!
having said that, today I'm probably the least depressed about my weight than I've ever been, and I'm certainly not at my thinnest - where I was very focused on weight (and pretty miserable).
I'd say that while I'm far from thin, I'm far from fat (if you know what I mean) but I think from a personal perspective, our emotional states and thoughts about our size can be far more influential than any hormonal effect.
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