Personality and the Social Experience of Body Weight

Personality traits have been associated consistently with objective and subjective experiences of body weight. We examine whether this association extends to social attitudes and behaviors related to weight. Participants were mothers with children (N=3,099) who completed measures of personality and weight-related attitudes and social interactions. Higher Neuroticism and higher Extraversion were associated with more negative attitudes towards persons with obesity and engagement in fat talk with their friends and around their children. Higher Conscientiousness was associated with fewer negative attitudes and interactions but greater phobia towards obesity, whereas higher Openness and higher Agreeableness were generally associated with more positive attitudes and experiences. The associations for Conscientiousness, Openness, and Agreeableness held only for participants at relatively lower body mass index. Higher Neuroticism and lower Conscientiousness were further associated with the experience of weight discrimination. The present research indicates that in addition to measured weight and body image, personality traits are associated with the social experience of body weight.