STUDY SHOWS THAT 'TV IS SHAPING PERCEPTIONS OF BODY IDEALS'
The research is from Durham University and University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast
Watching TV makes viewers prefer thinner women, according to a new study of body image perceptions.
Researchers from Durham University studied 299 people living in remote Nicaraguan villages who either had regular or hardly any access to TV shows.
Those who had very limited access preferred female figures with a higher body mass index, while people who watched more shows favoured thinner women.
The Central American villagers were chosen as they had similar backgrounds in their nutrition, income and education, but had differing access to TV.
This meant researchers were able to isolate the effect of TV exposure from the other factors.
The researchers say the findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, offer the best evidence to date that TV is shaping perceptions of body ideals.
Published: by Radio NewsHub