Body shape psychology -
New research suggests, though, that elements of your appearance that are far more difficult to control also have a substantial impact on those all-important first impressions.
In a recent study , researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas asked a group of American subjects to look at bodies of different shapes—not just thin and fat, but detailed variations such as pear-shaped and broad-shouldered—and assign personality traits to those shapes.
The fatter a body got, the more negative the traits associated with it were, like carelessness and disorganization. The leaner a body, the better a person was assumed to be, with characteristics of determination and curiosity.
Read: How intelligence leads to stereotyping. The formal connection between personality and body type in academic research goes back to , when the psychologist William Sheldon established the somatotypes, which are three generalized body shapes that he theorized could be linked biogenetically to personality: ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs.
Ectomorphs are people who are tall and thin, and Sheldon expected them to be shy and anxious. And for good reason: Somatotypes were a direct result of the academic popularity of anthropometry and eugenics before World War II.
He then assigned each shape personality traits based on his own observations and assumptions about personality and physical appearance. In doing so, he developed the now-discredited field known as constitutional psychology, which is the study of the link between body and behavior.
Eventually, spurred by outcry from the parents of the well-heeled young women he was photographing nude and by the repudiation of his techniques by a longtime research partner , schools washed their hands of him and he died in obscurity.
His papers are now kept out of easy public reach at the National Anthropological Archives, and they require curator permission to view. We judge strangers based on body shape. Share this article. Latest news Ovarian tissue freezing may help delay, and even prevent menopause.
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Carl Jung, for instance, believed that the mind, body, and personality were inextricably interwoven. In his classic work, Psychological Types , he scribed:. Character is the fixed individual form of a human being. Since this form is compounded of body and mind, a general characterology must teach the significance of both physical and psychic features.
The enigmatic oneness of the living organism has as its corollary the fact that bodily traits are not merely physical, nor mental traits merely psychic.
The continuity of nature knows nothing of those antithetical distinctions that the human intellect is forced to set up as aids to understanding. One example of this mind-body overlap is the relationship between emotions and facial expressions.
Social psychologists have shown, for instance, that our facial expressions are associated with specific emotions and are interpreted similarly across a breadth of human cultures. This suggests that, irrespective of language or culture, emotions can be conveyed through physical expressions.
At first blush, this may sound a bit preposterous. Why would our physical appearance have anything to do with our personality? But consider this: Even if our physical features are genetically based, could it be that the genes and hormones that contribute to our appearance also affect, or interact with those that affect, our personality?
Is it unreasonable to suspect, for instance, that individuals who are heavily muscled and have higher levels of blood testosterone might also have a more aggressive personality? We must also consider how our habits and behaviors might influence our physical appearance.
The same is true of our facial muscles. These observations lend support to the idea that our personality and behaviors are not unrelated to how we look. Thus, to a certain extent, our appearance may serve as a window to our soul. Moreover, that window is apt to be larger for those who are skilled at perceiving and interpreting bodily clues.
Indeed, developing this sort of skill and knowledge is the express aim of practices like face reading and physiognomy. At some point, certain individuals made this practice more explicit, such as by attempting to match particular facial features e.
This approach is rooted in science which suggests that humans tend to process facial information in a holistic or intuitive fashion.
In a study 1 published in the peer-reviewed journal, Social Cognition , Ian Penton-Voak and colleagues utilized both individual and composite facial images. More specifically, the composites incorporated facial images of those scoring in the top ten percent for each of the Big Five personality domains To preserve the flow of this discussion, I have taken the liberty to translate the Big Five categories into Myers-Briggs terminology.
Research has demonstrated moderate to strong correlations between these two personality taxonomies. They also had no acquaintance with any of the individuals whose photographs were utilized in the study.
The most significant finding of this study was the ability of the raters to accurately distinguish introverts from extroverts. This was true for both the male and female composites, as well as for non-composite images i. Beyond the introvert -extrovert distinction, things proved a little more difficult.
The assessors were able to differentiate thinkers T and feelers F of both sexes, but only when using the composite images. The judging J — perceiving P preference was only identifiable in males and only in the composites. The intuition N — sensing S preference was also discernible only in males, but this time only in the non-composite images.
What follows are the composite images used in the study. Again, I opted to translate the Big Five categories into their corresponding Myers-Briggs preferences for your ease and convenience:.
A couple hundred years later, the Roman physician Galen identified several different temperaments sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, melancholic , each of which he attributed to a certain proportion of four bodily fluids—blood and phlegm, as well as black and yellow bile.
Despite this ancient interest in body typing and the biological basis of temperament, it was not until the early 20 th century that more complex and substantive theories were offered. The most influential and extensive of these was promulgated by William H.
Sheldon theorized that endomorphs possess longer digestive tracts, allowing for more efficient absorption and retention of calories.
The mesomorph is characterized by a predominance of muscle tissue, sporting a broad and muscular frame. Their overall shape is squarer than that of the other types, including a heavier, often chiseled jaw.
Because muscle and bone are denser than fat, mesomorphs are generally of higher body weight than comparably sized endomorphs. Mesomorphs also tend to look more mature in their appearance and usually undergo puberty at an earlier age.
Of the three types, ectomorphs have the lowest body weight with respect to their height. As mentioned earlier, Sheldon was not merely interested in identifying different body types, but was driven by an intense curiosity regarding their relationship to personality traits. To investigate this body-personality interface, Sheldon developed and administered personality questionnaires and conducted multiple interviews with each of his subjects.
He then employed a battery of statistical analyses to identify potential relationships between the somatotypes and various personality characteristics. What he discovered was nothing less than fascinating.
Sheldon found that endomorphic individuals typically appeared relaxed and reported a marked enjoyment of food and other sensory pleasures. In Myers-Briggs parlance, the endomorph tends to prefer extraversion E and sensing S , or in Jungian terminology, Extraverted Sensation Se.
Sheldon found that mesomorphs were characterized by assertive, aggressive, dominant, and confident personalities. They were fearless in venturing out into the world, interacting with new people, and asserting themselves. Like the endormophs, they too were likely to be extraverted E.
DALLAS — You may Body shape psychology dazzling zhape with your pschology, but what does your body shape say about sjape personality? Body shape psychology, psychologj to a new University of Body shape psychology at Dallas study. Understanding these Garcinia cambogia and keto diet is important for considering how we form first impressions. Researchers came up with three-dimensional renderings of realistic body models. The 70 male and 70 female body models were created from random values across 10 different body dimensions based on laser scans of actual human bodies. This made it possible for researchers to know exactly what the physical measurements were for each body type in the study.Body shape psychology -
Today's "Brazilian-style" waxing would have seemed bizarre: were you trying to look like a presexual child? Hair was good and celebrated in song, not whisked away like an embarrassment. In the s, the new supermodels were a kind of amalgam of earlier fashions, women with Gibson-Girl height but narrow hips and flat chests.
Then came the usual zig-zag: the boy-child look got another moment in the s when tiny women like Kate Moss and Winona Ryder won the public's attention.
And here we go again, back to embracing curves, on figures such as Kim Kardashian. Is she wearing a Victorian bustle? Someone is always left out: You can imagine that a slight petite girl longed for long legs and an hourglass figure in the s and today craves a big muscled rear-end.
Two things are wrong: the standards are extreme, and our bodies aren't all that malleable. Artists and lovers have always seen beauty with less conventional eyes. For those concerned about being attractive to romantic partners, the truth is that tastes vary. Even when thin is in for women, lots of men like women with curves rather than protruding ribs.
People most want to know that you're into them. It's hard to walk away from someone who is happy to see you, laughs at your jokes, and is responsive in the bedroom. Sure, it's important to eat a healthful diet and exercise. Focus on a "live-it" rather than a "diet": eat in a way you can live with rather than adopt a regime that feels like you could die.
Let your goal be health, and your own style of beauty will shine through. And should your look be out of style, go look at photos from 20 years earlier.
A version of this story appears at Your Care Everywhere. Temma Ehrenfeld is a New York-based science writer, and former assistant editor at Newsweek.
Temma Ehrenfeld. Open Gently. Diet What's Your Body-Shape Era? Cultural perception of beauty changes, over and over again. Posted January 7, Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster Share. THE BASICS. Key points Cultural ideas of "ideal" body types change over time. These ideals are always extremes that only a few women can achieve.
Artists see beauty with more generous eyes. Diet Essential Reads. How a Corn-Based Diet Led to Mental Illness. How a Mediterranean Diet Can Help Fight Teen Depression. About the Author. More from Temma Ehrenfeld.
More from Psychology Today. Back Psychology Today. Despite this ancient interest in body typing and the biological basis of temperament, it was not until the early 20 th century that more complex and substantive theories were offered.
The most influential and extensive of these was promulgated by William H. Sheldon theorized that endomorphs possess longer digestive tracts, allowing for more efficient absorption and retention of calories.
The mesomorph is characterized by a predominance of muscle tissue, sporting a broad and muscular frame. Their overall shape is squarer than that of the other types, including a heavier, often chiseled jaw. Because muscle and bone are denser than fat, mesomorphs are generally of higher body weight than comparably sized endomorphs.
Mesomorphs also tend to look more mature in their appearance and usually undergo puberty at an earlier age. Of the three types, ectomorphs have the lowest body weight with respect to their height.
As mentioned earlier, Sheldon was not merely interested in identifying different body types, but was driven by an intense curiosity regarding their relationship to personality traits.
To investigate this body-personality interface, Sheldon developed and administered personality questionnaires and conducted multiple interviews with each of his subjects. He then employed a battery of statistical analyses to identify potential relationships between the somatotypes and various personality characteristics.
What he discovered was nothing less than fascinating. Sheldon found that endomorphic individuals typically appeared relaxed and reported a marked enjoyment of food and other sensory pleasures. In Myers-Briggs parlance, the endomorph tends to prefer extraversion E and sensing S , or in Jungian terminology, Extraverted Sensation Se.
Sheldon found that mesomorphs were characterized by assertive, aggressive, dominant, and confident personalities. They were fearless in venturing out into the world, interacting with new people, and asserting themselves.
Like the endormophs, they too were likely to be extraverted E. They reported a greater need for privacy and solitude, as well as a propensity to reflect on their thoughts or emotions. Even the renown personality researcher Hans Eysenck acknowledged the relationship between personality and physique:.
We may conclude on the whole that the work reviewed supports the proposition that there exists a correlation of the order of. In concert with other theorists, Eysenck believed there were only two primary types—the ectomorphic introvert and the mesomorphic extravert—either of which might add body fat and thereby appear endomorphic as a result of lifestyle or other factors.
In addition to faces and physiques, people also differ significantly when it comes to bodily symmetry or proportionality. Some individuals, for instance, are thicker and heavier in the lower body, while relatively thin and slender through the arms and torso.
In such cases, it can be difficult to readily determine their somatotype. Bodymind , a book by Ken Dychtwald, is a popular reference for those interested in assessing the mind through the body. This makes it possible to examine the relative symmetry and proportions of various bodily regions.
According to Dychtwald, the upper body can be associated with action and expression, including our level of physical activity and how we relate to others.
Extraverts also tend to stand tall and open as do J types , exuding a confidence and willingness to confront and engage with the world. By contrast, Dychtwald suggests that introverts often exhibit a more substantial lower body coupled with less development of the chest, shoulders, and arms.
Many display a characteristic rounding of the upper back and shoulders, as though their back muscles are not strong enough to hold them upright. This may also reflect a tendency for them to fold under outward pressures or to withdraw inwardly. Moreover, many introverts habitually cross their arms or legs, an unwitting sign that they are closed, guarded, or otherwise uncomfortable.
While far from being exact sciences, there appears to be at least some measure of insight that can be gleaned from studying face reading and body typing. My experience as a typologist and people-watcher is in large part consonant with the research and observations presented above.
In my view, introversion and extraversion are by far the easiest personality elements to identify visually. If pushed to give an estimate, I might contend that I can visually identify the I-E preference in nearly two-thirds of people relatively quickly.
While introversion and extraversion can be discerned through the face alone as evidenced in the above study , when facial information is combined with other observations—body type, posture, body language, etc. This squares with the findings of Sheldon, Dychtwald, Eysenck, and others, all of which point to the I-E preference as the most overt and readily identifiable body-personality characteristic.
I also feel fairly confident reading T-F differences and do so mostly through facial data. I suspect our powers of T-F discernment are rooted largely in our perception of faces as masculine or feminine, which we then tend to associate with T and F respectively.
Beyond the fact that N types are more apt to be ectomorphs than S types, it can be difficult to discern S-N or J-P differences based strictly on raw facial or somatotypic data. Things such as clothing and make-up may offer additional clues.
NPs and SJs, for instance, typically wear less make up and dress differently than say, ESFPs. is a four-time author and recognized authority on personality typology. He founded Personality Junkie® in which has since grown to see over 3 million annual visitors.
His work has been referenced in numerous publications and he currently boasts the two best-selling INTP books worldwide. Read A. Seems his research findings would be skewed by missing data from half the population. Thanks for your comment.
That said, your point is well taken. To make his theory more generalizable, Sheldon would have been wise to include analyses of women as well. I find all of this fascinating. Is there much research done on gender gap in typology theory? It has nothing to do with caloric intake.
I am a very picky, healthy eater. My preference for science and my profession in medicine seems to be in contrast to my appearance. And there is no hiding it. I have studied various constitutional theories and find them to be intriguing.
I feel like with females, however, there can be such a strong hormonal component read, estrogen that it really can seem to be impossible. Just a thought. I do think that, in general, more of the sanguine, extroverted personalities tend to carry extra weight due to the reasons mentioned above.
Thanks for your comment Teresa. I agree that hormones are likely to play an influential role in our body type. Moreover, as you are certainly aware, there are always exceptions to the general trends. Jung himself was a great example of an intuitive introvert who was by no means ectomorphic.
Thanks for this blog and your books. I always learn something new! Even Freud said that the ego is a body ego. Thanks for the mention of Bodymind by Dytchtwald. Two other major mind-as-body theorists are Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen.
Reich had some very strange ideas, which Lowen toned down and developed into bioenergetics, a psychotherapeutic approach that combines mind and body.
Both men, and their later disciples, had fascinating ideas about how the personality is revealed through body characteristics. The Energetics Institute has a good overview of the five body types and their corresponding character types.
Thanks so much for your comment. Fascinating article. The composite images related to personality traits are particularly compelling.
Somatotype shspe a Joint health rejuvenation proposed psychoology the s by the American psychologist William Herbert Body shape psychology to categorize the human physique psyhcology to the Body shape psychology contribution of shaps fundamental Body shape psychology which he termed somatotypesclassified by him as ectomorphicmesomorphicand endomorphic. He Body shape psychology psychloogy terms borrowing from the three sahpe layers Food intolerances in sports embryonic pzychology : The endodermwhich develops into the digestive tractthe mesodermwhich becomes muscleheartand blood vessels and the ectoderm which forms the skin and nervous system. Constitutional psychology is a theory developed by Sheldon in the s, which attempted to associate his somatotype classifications with human temperament types. In his book, Atlas of MenSheldon categorized all possible body types according to a scale ranging from 1 to 7 for each of the three somatotypeswhere the pure endomorph is 7—1—1, the pure mesomorph 1—7—1 and the pure ectomorph scores 1—1—7. Sheldon's "somatotypes" and their associated physical and psychological traits were characterized as follows: [3] [8] [11].
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