Here is what studies have found about individuals with LOW SPA. Older adults and those who conform to societal notions of beauty tend to have lower social physique anxiety. Studies have found that as individuals age, the importance placed on our appearance decreases as other things become more important such as altruistic adventures and community. Studies have also found that individuals who conform to social norms of westernized beauty have fairly low levels of SPA. Meaning, they have been conditioned to believed that if they are traditionally beautiful, then everyone will adore their body and therefore, there is no reason to feel ashamed about it.
Most individuals in young to mid-life experience some SPA. The pressures placed on young individuals to portray an ideal physique are predominant social forces in today’s society. A failure to live up to these standards, whether real or imagined, may induce thoughts and feelings that others are negatively evaluating one’s physique. For those who experience SPA sometimes, may only experience it in certain settings or often have a feeling that other people are looking at them and judging their bodies. This may be exacerbated during physical activity in public or when the body is on display, such as during a presentation. Here’s a tip to reduce that extra bit of anxiety: remind yourself that everyone has a body and that the shape, size, color or ability on the body is not a refection of your internal worth. For most people, the more you give presentations or display your body, the less anxiety you’ll feel.
Quite a Bit of SPA: For those who scored as quite a bit of SPA are used to frequently worrying about the way they look and appear to others. Children as young as seven are exposed to clothing, toys, music, youth magazines and television programs laden with suggestive sexual imagery that glorifies the idealized figure (Zurbriggen et. al, 2007). The constant barrage of popular culture images has normalized the objectification of our bodies and teaching us to place high value on our outward appearance. Having quite a bit of SPA is normal (most people score in this range) considering the societal pressure that we are exposed to in Western cultures. However, just because it is normalized behavior does not make it good for our mental health. Try not to be hard on yourself here, there are a few things you can do to help reduce some of your SPA. Researchers suggest that increasing self-efficacy, increasing perceptions of control, and fostering acceptance can help reduce SPA.
About 25% of individuals, at some point during their lifetime, report a high amount of SPA. Individuals from all walks of life experience high SPA including; varying socioeconomic status, genders, ages, body size, height and ability. Researchers have found that individuals with high SPA often have/ or had an eating disorder, disordered eating, body dysmorphia or other psychological trauma that causes extreme stress and anxiety about the body. For some, the anxiety may only occur in public spaces, while for others it may be all time; both at home and in public. Test results can change over time based on new experiences, additional education, and other factors. Thus you should not view your results as permanent, unalterable representations of your personality. Instead, psychological tests are best understood as a measure of how you are right now, based on your own self-report and the limitations of the test. These online self-report tests should not be used to diagnose or treat mental health conditions. To help reduce your SPA, researchers suggest that increasing self-efficacy, increasing perceptions of control, and fostering acceptance may help.
