Comparison with Past Body: A New Psychological Risk Factor

A scientific research has been published that will change the prevailing approaches in the field of psychology, body image and eating disorders for many years. Ohio State University Clinical Psychology Department experts Professor Tracy Tylka and Dr. The team, led by Nichole Wood-Barcalow, examined the devastating effects that comparisons individuals make with past versions of themselves have on mental health. In the study published in the journal Body Image, scientists developed a new clinical evaluation model called "Self-Oriented Appearance Comparison Scale" (SOCS-A).

Research data show that individuals view their current bodies as inadequate by looking at old photos, videos or memories of their youth (upward self-focused comparison); documented that it is directly related to disorders such as severe body shame, mental rumination, depressive symptoms and binge eating.

It has been found that people going through natural biological processes such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause, andropause, chronic diseases or aging are brutally hard on themselves, focusing on their past idealized images rather than on models in the media.

Behavioral differences between genders were also analyzed in the clinical study. It was observed that the rate of women experiencing body shame by comparing themselves with their old photos was significantly higher than men.

Experts noted that due to the idealized appearance pressure that society puts on the female body, women more often take refuge in their past versions during the aging or weight gain processes, and this leads to psychological destruction.

Professor Tracy Tylka, who conducted the research, emphasized that traditional clinical treatments only focus on the patient comparing himself with his peers or the media, but the real destructive factor is internal comparison.

Experts stated that the SOCS-A scale should be a mandatory screening tool in clinical psychology and eating disorder treatments, and announced that the psychological effects of the recently widespread weight loss drugs (GLP-1) and rapid body changes will be examined through this self-focused comparison model.