thin news stories on Newser

Even 3-Year-Olds Want to Be Thin

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:57:29 CST

The desire to be thin can implant itself in girls as young as 3, a new study shows. Fifty-five girls between the ages of 3 and 5 were shown three figures, identical except that one was thin, one average, and one fat. When asked to associate positive and negative adjectives...

Thin Women Make More Money, Thin Men Make Less

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:03:52 CDT

If you want to snag a higher paycheck, get skinny—unless you're a guy, in which case you’d do better to pack on the pounds, according to a new study. The new research shows that employers tend to pay very thin women more than their average-weight counterparts, while very thin...

Men Prefer 'Normal' Weight Women

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:08:27 CDT

Celebrity culture and body image issues aside, women of “normal” weight are by far the most attractive to the opposite sex. College-age men asked to rate headshots of their counterparts judged women in the normal weight range more attractive. “This sends a strong message to all the girls out there...

How Thin People Make Other People Fat

Harry Kimball — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:55:00 CDT

Existing research suggests those trying to control their food intake should avoid dining with hefty companions with heaping plates. Not quite, says a new study. While the "I'll have what she's having" effect was confirmed in this experiment with college-age women, it was much more pronounced if the person supersizing...

Why Such Rage at Obesity? Start With 'Self-Loathing'

Harry Kimball — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:00:01 CDT

If so many people are fat in this country, why is there so much venom against the overweight? Part of it can be chalked up to "self-loathing," write Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin in Newsweek . We're conditioned to consider extra pounds unattractive, and we get ticked off when we can't...

Add a Little Weight, Gain 6-7 Years: Study

Will McCahill — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:36:09 CDT

Being a touch on the heavy side could help you live an extra few years, Japanese researchers say. People who were a little overweight at 40 lived 6 to 7 years longer than those who were very thin at that age, AFP reports. The very thin had a life expectancy...