Kristina Qoku
Deeadra Brown
Writing for the Sciences ENGL 21003 11 Mar 2020

Is Beauty Really in the Eyes of the Beholder?
Beauty is only skin deep; a phrase commonly heard, yet rarely embodied. Our society tends to avoid discussions of body image by either disregarding the matter entirely or pushing forward generalized positive affirmations. Cosmetic procedures and enhancements are seen as a luxury, not a necessity. But, what if physical appearance impacts our health more than previously believed? Published on March 18th, 2019, Stress and Health’s“The effect of perceived appearance judgements on psychological and biological stress processes across adulthood” by Natalie J. Sabik, Ashley M. Geiger, Myriam V. Thoma, Danielle Gianferante, Nicolas Rohleder, and Jutta M. Wolf addresses concerns of perceived physical image as related to stress pathways in the body. Perceived judgment from others can ultimately create negative health concerns that could otherwise be prevented.

With the onset of technology, Western beauty ideals, and unrealistic standards, the pressure to maintain a certain image is higher than ever. With the swipe of a finger, you can locate doctors to perform new plastic surgery procedures, or browse through thousands of edited photos on social media. Comparison is innate, and utterly human. However, comparison also creates dire health consequences by eliciting a physical stress response from the body. A group of researchers decided to measure the extent of this stress response in a recent study. Within the study, the researchers attempted to induce stress by asking the participants to go through a group interview series of questionnaires, creating an atmosphere of interrogation much like an FBI agent would to a suspect. Most of us would feel embarrassed or unprepared if confronted with such an interview. Fear of judgment from those observing us would likely get in the way of our performance, much as it did for the participants. Groups from a wide variety of ages were included (Sabik et al. 2019), ranging from 18-65 years old. Since life experiences dictate our psychological well being and sense of self, age and gender are relevant when considering levels of stress. The subjects’ height and weight, perceived everyday stress, and overall satisfaction with body image (Sabik et al. 2019) were recorded. Since stress can’t be seen with the naked eye and is usually subject to opinion, samples of saliva were periodically collected (Sabik et al. 2019) during the interview process. This was done to measure levels of cortisol, a hormone produced in the body in response to stress. The results of the experiment, ultimately, prove to be concerning.

It was discovered that all of the participants, regardless of age or gender, experienced an increase in cortisol levels (Sabik et al. 2019) during the interview process. Essentially, they all became stressed out, and their bodies responded much like an anxious student would on an exam. In fact, people who felt most like they were being negatively judged had the highest levels of stress (Sabik et al. 2019) in response to the questionnaires. It’s interesting to note that, while it’s generally believed that women face more judgment from society in terms of their appearance, this study found no difference in stress levels between the genders. In addition to stress, higher levels of depressive symptoms were noted. Depressive symptoms can include anything from insomnia or irritability to general feelings of sadness. These depressive symptoms are thought to be indirectly related to the stress responses. On the other hand, individuals who were more confident in themselves and who thought others viewed them positively were less stressed out by the interview process. They had lower levels of cortisol (Sabik et al. 2019) and, overall, embodied a more positive outlook. Despite self-image being relevant to how someone feels in social settings, only perceived external judgment from others directly caused higher stress levels (Sabik et al. 2019). In the past few years, western society has pushed forward a body positivity movement that promotes self acceptance and self love. These findings indicate that, perhaps, self perception isn’t the real root of the issue.

As time progresses, it becomes easy to sweep this health affair under the rug because we can’t immediately see its consequences. Cosmetic concerns are not considered necessary for wellbeing or survival in the healthcare field. Most of us encounter some level of stress in our daily lives. It’s relatively harmless to momentarily worry about your next work assignment or what you will eat for dinner. But, when you are constantly mulling over how others view you on a daily basis, dire health consequences come into play. Chronic stress puts you at higher risk for depression, heart disease, stroke, and heart attack (Sabik et al. 2019). Quality of life significantly decreases, often without any external symptoms until much later. Much like a silent killer, stress is hard to spot, and oftentimes can go unnoticed. Health consequences like those mentioned have become more prevalent in Western society in the past few years, but they’re typically blamed on traditional diet and exercise. What if we are completely missing another component to the equation? After all, mental well being rarely remains isolated as just a psychological issue. The mind impacts the body just as much as traditional illnesses do. With increased mindfulness practices and awareness of thought patterns, this overarching issue has the potential to be remediated (Sabik et al. 2019). Simply sitting down and meditating for a few minutes each day can make all the difference. Speaking about feelings of inadequacy with a loved one can help resolve any potential stressors. Now that we have armed ourselves with knowledge, taking action to break down misconceptions is the next best step.

References

Natalie SJ, Ashley GM, Myriam TV, Danielle G, Nicolas R, Jutta WM. 2019. The effect of perceived appearance judgments on psychological and biological stress processes across adulthood. Stress and Health. 35(3):318-329.