Body-related attentional bias in women and men. Potential risk factor for the development and maintenance of a distorted body image

Abstract

Attentional bias during the processing of body and shape-related stimuli are assumed to perpetuate body dissatisfaction and a disturbed body image. This article presents a review of currently available studies concerning body and shape-related attentional bias in both genders. In the light of a heuristic cognitive-behavioral meta-model for the development and perpetuation of disturbed body images, recent findings on body and shape-related attentional bias are presented separately for women and men. Furthermore, findings on the experimental modification of this bias in women are presented and the implications for the therapeutic practice are deduced. For both genders the presented results indicate that (sub)clinical body image concerns are associated with a more dysfunctional processing of body and shape-related stimuli, especially with respect to one's own body. Moreover, findings on the modification of attentional bias in women suggest a causal relationship between attention allocation towards negatively rated body stimuli and body dissatisfaction.