How social influence can impact the fluctuations of our waistlines
Human beings are social creatures, thriving on interaction with others. As babies, we have no choice but to rely on the care of our parents for survival, but we continue to develop and learn about the world around us through other people even as we grow older. Our interpersonal connections are not only how we’ve survived on this planet, they’re the very essence of our happiness and continued progress.
But research has shown that this act of learning through the filter of another person may also directly affect the way in which we lose and gain weight. A recent study at Loyola University determined that your circle of friends may be a strong factor in influencing your body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle habits.
If you’re a patient of sleeve gastrectomy, lap band or gastric bypass in Salt Lake City, take a minute to think about your best friends. Though you’ve made a huge step towards a healthier life with bariatric surgery, your buddies may not be making the same progress. This doesn’t mean you should start avoiding your overweight friends—on the contrary, it means your influence may help them fight their own weight problems.
The Study
A team of researchers at Loyola University conducted an exhaustive analysis of previously-collected data from studies of two large high schools. They looked at factors like BMI, participation in sports and time spent using a computer or television. By isolating social influence (how friends affect each other’s behavior) from other social factors like homophily (the tendency for people to bond with similar individuals) and shared environmental influences, the researchers were able to measure the impact of social influence on obesity and the behaviors that contribute to it.
They found that those who were borderline overweight (a BMI near 25) were 40 percent more likely to reduce their BMI over the course of a school year if they had normal weight friends (a BMI of 20 or below). Conversely, similar students were 56 percent more likely to show an increase in BMI if their friends were obese (a BMI of 30 or above). Social influence affected the amount of time spent parked in front of a TV or computer screen in one school, but affected levels of participation in sports for students in both schools. Homophily was only shown to have an impact on sport participation in one school.
The Takeaway
This study does have some limitations. The data was self-reported by students, which makes it potentially biased, and was collected in the mid-1990s before social media platforms further complicated the realm of social influence. Regardless, the results seem quite clear—social influence can play a big part in how we lose and gain weight, particularly for impressionable young students.
This means we need to start looking beyond the individual when trying to solve the spreading problem of obesity. Though the study does make untestable assumptions about how friendships are formed, maintained and ended, it seems to say a lot about how social influence can be used to fight obesity.
More study and clarification is needed, but as you work to lose weight and become healthier after bariatric surgery, think about the impact that you can have on your friends, and vice versa. You shouldn’t take this study as a reason to cut yourself off from friends who have unhealthy habits, but should take care not to let their influence cause you to slip back into bad habits of your own.
Instead, stick to your weight loss program and do your best to help your friends become healthier as well. Remember that we all go through this life together, and though you may not be able to force your friends to take the same steps toward a better lifestyle that you have, the very act of improving your health can influence them to do the same.