New research shows plus size models in ads can boost your mood

Celebratory trends (like #BigThighTwitter) and the popularity of full-figured fashionistas have shown the world that the one-size-fits-all mentality is a thing of the past. While the social impact is clear, new research suggests the prevalence of plus size models has positive mental health benefits as well.

A recent study from Florida State University found that women report a healthier self image and better resonance when they view more plus size models as opposed to thinner ones. Researchers focused on 49 university-aged women,  all who admitted some degree of dissatisfaction with their own bodies. Each participant was shown a series of images of fashion models (from actual media) ranging from what the researchers considered plus size, to average, and thinner builds. After each image, participants categorized each model based on what they perceived the models' body type to be and their attractiveness, while rating their own feelings of arousal, pleasantness, unpleasantness and divulging their own feelings of social comparison and body satisfaction.

When viewing the thinner models, the respondents reported a high degree of comparison to them and a related dissatisfaction with their own bodies. But when viewing the average and plus size models, participants were found to make less comparisons, felt better about their own bodies and received a boost in confidence and overall psychological health. This section of the findings shouldn't come as much of a surprise; the typical fashion model look is both an unrealistic ideal and wholly unrepresentative of most of the population, so when it's paraded around as a norm, it's bound to cause cognitive dissonance in those who view it.

What is remarkable here is how quickly that psychological response occurs. With such media everywhere, it seems like consumers might always have that feeling just bubbling below the surface.

Since modelling is absolutely about selling, perhaps this next finding has the potential to spark the most change. After all the images were shown, participants were then tested on their image recollection. Participants showed a much higher degree of both image attention and memory when recalling the plus size model images compared to the thinner ones..It seems like a no-brainer that advertisers would want their consumers to be not only in a positive state of mind, and also pay more attention and remember more about their advertising.

Another perspective to consider is how males respond to body issues through males depicted in advertising. At first glance, there seems to be a more balanced depiction of male bodies in advertising (as any beer commercial might tell you), but the pressure to stay fit and look good is definitely there (did somebody say scrotox?). Though studies regarding males are somewhat limited compared to females, research has suggested that 95% of university-aged males are unsatisfied with their bodies in some capacity, though many males keep quiet about the issue due to the stigma of it being considered a "female problem". In fact, advertising and media have made the male body an increasingly more muscular figure, so it's not hard to hypothesize that males not only face the pressure, but would respond similarly to a more varied depiction of body types.

It may be safest to say that, no matter what shape you're in, we all have some type of body dissatisfaction and the flawless images we see in advertising aren't remotely realistic standards to attain. But we can take comfort in the fact that a shift in that culture to portray the true plethora of physiques that are out there, can lead to not only more effective advertising, but a boost in mood, perception and sense of self.