Externally oriented thinking of obese men and women
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Updated: Nov 2, 2026

Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
1Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, Japan. fukunisi@prit.go.jp
Abstract:
This study examined the association of scores on alexithymia and obesity. The obese group (n = 47) reported significantly higher total scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale than the nonobese group (n = 190). Of the four factors of alexithymia, although significant differences were not found in the statistical analysis with a Bonferroni correction, scores on externally-oriented thinking (so-called "pensée operatoire") were higher for the obese group than the nonobese group. The results suggest that persons with simple obesity are prone to alexithymia, in particular externally-oriented thinking.
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