It's in our heads

Here’s something from Dr. Laura Berman, who specializes in helping women repair their sex lives and find relief from menopausal
symptoms.

“A recent Japanese study found that the way we feel about our physical appearance may be a case of mind over matter. Researchers have found that women are more sensitive to appearance-related words than men. When words like “obese” or “heavy” were flashed in front of female study participants, a part of the brain’s threat-signaling center — the amygdala — reacted. Men who were shown the same words processed them in an entirely different area of the brain — the prefrontal cortex, which is linked to more cognitive-emotional functioning. The study’s authors theorize that women take the words to heart emotionally, while men evaluate them more rationally.

This evidence may explain a lot of the behavioral differences between the sexes! So what can you do about it? It would seem this offers yet another reason to minimize possibly harmful “triggers,” whether they’re unrealistic standards of beauty in magazines, or friends and family who try to make you feel physically inadequate. Cutting down on celebrity worship will help, too. Feeling attractive is as much a mental game as a fight to stay physically fit, and believing you’re beautiful is most of the battle.”