Psychological causes of overweight

In the emergence of excess body weight, along with hereditary predisposition and endocrine disorders, social and psychological factors play an important role. In the overwhelming majority of cases, excessive completeness develops as a result of an incorrect lifestyle - constant overeating, irrational nutrition, lack of physical activity, chronic emotional overstrain, etc.

Against the background of hereditary predisposition, the main cause of obesity is overeating. There are quite a few families in which literally the cult of food reigns. Especially on weekends people eat a lot and almost continuously. And in the evenings after work, the tradition of very tight dinner is strictly observed, and in addition, snacking, eating and eating while watching TV.So, looking at the screen, some do not even notice how they eat half a loaf of bread, a box of sweets, a pack of cookies or something else that's high-calorie. .. and unnecessary.

In addition, in such families it is customary to offer food and persuade each other "to eat another slice, another spoon, another plate", etc. This is almost the only way of showing concern and attention.

Often talk about hereditary fullness. However, the results of many scientific studies indicate the non-hereditary nature of obesity. For example, there are many cases when all members of the same family suffer from the fullness, even if there is no blood relationship between them - spouses, mother-in-law, mother-in-law, adopted children. It has been found that in full people and pets often have a heightened weight.

Appetite also matters. Children growing up in families where they eat a lot, at an early age, there is a violation of the functional state of the nerve centers that regulate appetite and sense of satiety. As a result, some people are more likely than others to eat. They eat more than the body needs, since the appearance of a feeling of satiety during a meal is very late for them.

Often there is a change in taste sensitivity. In addition, many families cook too sweet or too salty foods. Children are taught to too sweet dishes, which increases the thresholds of taste sensitivity to sweets. As a result, an adult who, for example, drinks tea and pours a single spoonful of sugar in a glass, seems to have unsweetened tea. In order for the tea to appear sweet to him, he should pour three or even five tablespoons of sugar. And tea without sugar really does seem tasteless, inedible. Similarly it is obtained with taste sensitivity to saline. Some people, when they start eating, do not even try it, they do not eat anything.

An important reason for the large prevalence of overweight is poor awareness of the rules of rational nutrition. Not everyone knows how to control the amount of food by counting calories, what foods are high in calories, and what are not, what nutrients they consist of.

In addition, erroneous beliefs are widespread - prejudices rooted in the minds of many. For example, a full child is supposedly a symbol of health, and the fullness of an adult is supposedly indicative of prosperity, solidity, well-being, social achievements, "weight" in society. However, the prevalence of overweight is also influenced by fashion, the notion of beauty, the stereotype of appearance. The idea of ​​what kind of person is considered beautiful, attractive, modern, can be sharply opposite in the representatives of different social and ethnic groups of the population.

There are many misconceptions about various foods, sometimes bordering on the absurd, for example, that sugar is healthy, as it is supposedly necessary for the brain, liver, bones. This leads to the conclusion that sugar should be eaten as much as possible.

Often the cause of overweight is chronic emotional overstrain( anxiety, depression, dissatisfaction, etc.), which causes an artificial increase in appetite and obsessive overeating, which is difficult to combat. There are people who are in a state of depression, emotional stress or in a stressful situation begin to eat more, just like others in a tense situation smoke.