What we can learn from our body type

 

Since W. H. Sheldon’s landmark study in 1954 (Atlas of man: A guide for somatyping the adult male at all ages. New York: Harper.) we know that our body type affects our perception of ourselves which, in turn, affects our communication behaviors. To what extent this happens is the subject of this post.

Sheldon identified three body types: endomorph, ectomorph and mesomorph. Scholars in communication studies, such as Joseph DeVito (Nonverbal Communication Workbook. Prospect Heights: Waveland, 1989.) and Dale Leathers and Michael Eaves (Successful nonverbal communication: principles and applications. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2008) define Sheldon’s body types similarly:  an endomorph is, roughly speaking, short and fat; an ectomorph is tall and thin, and a mesomorph is athletic.

Each of us perceives ourselves as having one of these body types and we develop a body image (how we feel about our image) based on how we think we look to others.

Since Sheldon’s findings in 1954, researchers and communication scholars have come up with ways for us to identify our body type and body image. To discover which body type best describes you, you would need to complete an exercise similar to the one DeVito offers in his Nonverbal Communication Workbook, based on the work of J.B. Cortes and F.M. Gatti (1965) titled Body Type Questionnaire (47). It contains six questions. For example, the first question is:

“I feel most the time __________, __________, and __________.”

Then you would choose three words from a list of twelve possible responses that best describe your personality to answer the question. For example, the above question has the following twelve selections.

“calm, anxious, cheerful, contented, relaxed, confident, tense, impetuous, complacent, reticent, energetic, self-conscious.”

After completing the questions, you would then underline the words you selected in the questionnaire in a separate list containing personality characteristics attributed to each body type. The results should reflect what you perceive to be your body type.

When I asked students to do this in class, some were surprised (others somewhat offended!) to learn that the results of their choices are a reflection of how they perceive themselves. Moreover, a few students expressed some surprise that they judge the personality characteristics of others based on their self-perception. Yet, that seems to hold true.

The way we perceive our body type affects our body image, a necessary part of self-esteem, and, in turn, the way we communicate with others. Admittedly, the whole issue of cultural stereotypes plays into how we determine our body type. Yet, there is truth in the idea that our perception of our body type affects our body image and shapes our behavior as we interact with others, for better or worse.

As Leathers and Eaves point out, if we are satisfied with our body type, we are likely to have higher self-esteem – termed body cathexis. Conversely, if we are unhappy or disappointed with our body type, we are likely to have lower self-esteem (145).

But there are two caveats to this assumption. First, we are our own worst critics and often inaccurately judge our body type. Not many of  us stand in front of a mirror every day and determine that we are ectomorphic, endomorphic or mesomorphic.

Secondly, it is encouraging to know, if even viscerally, that others may not agree with our self-assessment. For example, if I perceive myself as an endomorph (short, fat), others may well view me as being a mesomorph (muscular and athletic). As Leathers and Eaves suggest, we have little trouble judging attractiveness in other people but have more difficulty in judging how attractive we are to other people.

For example, has anyone ever told you that you are attractive only to express surprise that he/she actually thinks that about you? This should suggest that body image (how we feel about our body) is related to what we perceive to be ideal as we compare our body type to others.

That being said, it is fascinating to note the body of literature that explains how body type and body image play into and affect our choices for dating and marriage. Perhaps you know a couple who seem to look a lot alike?  That’s no mistake!  The matching hypothesis suggests that we look for similarities in body types in our dating and marriage choices (148). Citing Archer (1980), Leathers and Eaves conclude that

“[t]here is considerable empirical evidence to support the validity of the matching hypothesis…(and) can safely conclude that individuals are likely to be attracted to other individuals who are similar to them in body build or type, dress, facial and bodily features, and overall physical attractiveness.” (148).

What does the body of research indicate? What can we learn from it? While there may be many things, three things stand out in my mind:

First, I think it means that while body type is important to body image, the more aware we are of our body image, the more we come to appreciate and accept our body type as something that is unique and belongs to us. If our body type causes us to have a poor body image (self-esteem), we can make changes in our lifestyle to correct that image.

Second, we are usually more critical of our body type than others. While we may think of ourselves as having a particular body type, others may disagree with our self-assessment. Although the literature indicates that we accurately judge attractiveness in others, we are rarely accurate in judging what others think about our body type.

Third, body type plays an important role in interpersonal attraction. The more similar we are, the more we like each other.