Goins, Laura Brooke. Understanding men's body image in the context of their romantic relationships. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3MK6D0S
DescriptionThis study examined men's body image in the context of their romantic relationships. One hundred and four heterosexual romantic dyads completed measures assessing men's body satisfaction, perceptions of men's weight change, relationship length, and sexual intimacy. Researchers also collected measures of men's height and weight. Results indicated that men's body satisfaction was negatively associated with both their actual weight status (BMI) and their perception of their weight gain during the relationship; men were more likely to be satisfied with their bodies when they perceived their partners to be and when their partners actually were satisfied with their bodies. Further analyses revealed that men expressed greater body satisfaction when there was a relatively high degree of sexual intimacy in the relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of the contributions to researchers' and practitioners' understanding of men's body satisfaction.