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Personality and Obesity

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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

Synonyms

Adiposity; Character; Psychological traits; Weight

Definition

Personality traits are characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (kg/m2) ≥30.

Introduction

Personality traits are regularly implicated in consequential health outcomes. Obesity (body mass index ≥30) is a significant health issue worldwide that may contribute to poor health. Obesity is also socially undesirable and associated with discrimination and worse social and psychological outcomes. The characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are captured by broad personality traits may contribute to the development of obesity across the lifespan.

Overview of Personality and Body Weight

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 39% of the world’s adult population is overweight and 13% is obese (see http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/). In the United States and other Western countries, the rate is considerably higher,...

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Correspondence to Angelina Sutin .

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Sutin, A., Terracciano, A. (2020). Personality and Obesity. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_2112

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