Intrasexual competition and eating restriction in heterosexual

and homosexual individuals by

Lizzie Bell and Vanessa Bobadilla

Approximately 11 million Americans suffer from eating disorders.

Viewing thin women in the media negatively impacts women’s body image satisfaction.

Introduction

Adaptive reproductive suppression◦ Unfavorable conditions cause some female

mammals to temporarily halt fertility through the restriction of eating. An example of such conditions is a perceived lack

of social support for childrearing and local norms valuing women in the workforce.

Background Studies

Adaptive mechanisms for intrasexual competition. ◦ Attraction tactics

Heterosexual Men: youth + fertility = physical attractiveness/desirable mate

Homosexual Men: youth + physical attractiveness = desirable mate

Background studies

Study 1 hypothesis: Cues to intrasexual competition among women, but not among men, would be manifest in concerns of thinness and restrictive eating attitudes.

Study 2 hypothesis: Intrasexual competition cues should also lead to more negative body image in heterosexual women and gay men.

Current Studies

Restrictive eating attitudes more prevalent in women than men.

Methods◦ Priming intrasexual competition

Profile picture with self-description (competitive vs. noncompetitive)

◦ Eating attitudes 26-item Eating Attitudes Test

Higher EAT scores are associated with more restrictive and eating-averse attitudes.

◦ Competitiveness and appearance satisfaction Questions (1= strongly disagree, 9= strongly agree)

Study 1: Intrasexual Competition and Eating Attitudes

Results

Fig. 1. Influence of intrasexual competition motives on eating restriction

Study 1: Intrasexual Competition and Eating Attitudes

Discussion◦ Exposure to competitive vs. noncompetitive

same-sex others led to changes in women’s, but not in men’s eating attitudes.

◦ This pattern of results is consistent with women’s desire to be thin, showing intrasexual competition.

Study 1: Intrasexual Competition and Eating Attitudes

Intrasexual competition cues should lead to more negative body image in heterosexual women and gay men.

• Methods (Same as study 1’s) PLUS…

34-item Body Shape Questionnaire Kinsey Scale of Sexual Orientation

(0= exclusively heterosexual, 6=exclusively homosexual)

Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals

Results

Fig. 2. Influence of intrasexual competition motives on eating restriction in heterosexual individuals

Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals

Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals

Fig. 3. Influence of intrasexual competition motives on eating restriction in homosexual individuals

Results◦ Body Image Concerns

Heterosexual women and gay men reported greater body image concerns in the competitive condition than in the noncompetitive condition.

Heterosexual men and lesbian women did not differ in body image concerns between conditions.

Discussion◦ Exposure to intrasexual competition cues had a very

different effect on eating attitudes on body image depending on individual’s sex and sexual orientation.

◦ These findings support the intrasexual competition hypothesis for thinness-related eating restriction.

Study 2: Heterosexual and Homosexual Individuals

As predicted by the hypotheses, cues to intrasexual competition led heterosexual women and gay men to report worse body image and more restrictive eating attitudes. ◦ Results extend beyond the adaptive reproductive

suppression hypothesis.◦ Because manipulations of intrasexual competition

consisted of pictures of normal-weight, average-looking peers, findings suggest triggers for restrictive eating may be broader than previously considered.

General Discussion

These findings support the idea that the ultimate explanation for eating disorders is related to intrasexual competition, particularly in heterosexual women and gay men, whose mates value physical attractiveness and thinness.

Conclusion