Weight and social comparison: Does the weight of a stranger affect a person's perception of their own weight?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Vibeke Tornhøj Christensen1, Mads Meier Jæger2
1VIVE-The Danish Center for Social Science Research, Denmark.
Abstract:
Research suggests that social context affects individuals' perception of their own weight. Using face-to-face interviews as the social context, we analyze the effect of interviewers' (N = 90) body mass index on respondents' (N = 3068) self-perceived weight level. Respondents reported a higher weight level when the interviewer had a higher body mass index (absolute social comparison). Female respondents reported a lower weight level if interviewers had a higher body mass index than they did (relative social comparison). Results suggest that weight perception reflects both absolute and relative social comparison, especially among women. Future research should consider causation and self-selection when studying social context and body image.
Related Concept Videos
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Apparent Weight
Consider a person standing on a bathroom scale inside an elevator. If the scale is accurate at rest, its reading equals the...
The Looking Glass Self
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Factors Influencing Attraction II: Physical Attraction

