How to boost your body image
Feeling secure in your skin is crucial to happiness—but it turns out, that’s even more true for men than for women. Researchers from Chapman University in California found that body image satisfaction ranked as the second strongest predictor of overall life satisfaction for guys (it ranked third for the fairer sex).
This is great news if you love the way you look. But the study also found only a quarter of men felt very satisfied with their body, and only half felt even somewhat satisfied.
Why is boosting your body image so important? Well, for starters, whether you’re a beanpole, a big guy, or a shredded MMA fighter, being happy with the way you look translates to confidence that affects every interaction you have, from the boardroom to the bedroom. Plus, the study found that satisfied folks were also happier with their sex life, friends, romantic partners, family, and financial situations. What’s more, feeling low about your looks can actually affect your health, increasing inflammation and your risk of heart disease—regardless of your actual weight, according to a 2014 study in Psychology & Health.
The secret to being more satisfied with how you look has nothing to do with actually changing the way you look. Check out these seven tricks to boost your body image—and happiness.
1. Set a realistic ideal
“First off, we have to come to grips with the concept of genetics determining our destiny,” says psychotherapist Andrew Walen, president of the National Association for Males with Eating Disorders (NAMED) and founder of The Body Image Therapy Center in Maryland and Washington, DC. Whether you’re still mourning that full head of hair you once had, waiting for that promised growth spurt, or hoping to bulk up or slim down, there are boundaries your DNA simply won’t let you go beyond.
It’s not about setting lower expectations—it’s about accepting what’s realistic. Husky Chris Pratt of Parks and Rec always had the potential to become swole Chris Pratt of Guardians of the Galaxy, but he's never going to be compact and cut like Zac Efron (the latter of whom is proof you don’t need to be six-foot-something to be a sex icon). And Bruce Willis and Michael Jordan are both proof you can be both bald and badass.
Embrace your natural, healthy shape and work toward its full potential—channeling confidence at every step of the way. (Remember, Leo rocked a belly so well he sparked a whole trend of #dadbods.)