Is Obesity Contagious?

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Keeping up with the Joneses may entail more than you think. As our neighbors get a little fatter, we allow ourselves to get a little fatter, too. At least, that’s what the latest research shows. After studying obesity data from the last 6 decades, two British economic experts concluded that obesity is socially contagious simply because of the way people perceive their status in society. As being overweight becomes more common and less of a stigma, people are less likely to care about maintaining a normal and healthy weight.

It sounds like an odd phenomenon, but when the researchers studied European women, they found that their perception of being overweight was based not only on their individual Body Mass Index, but on weight comparisons with other people. So the heavier your family and friends, the less likely you are to worry about the extra weight yourself.

Image: trekkyandy