MiNDFOOD

GROW YOUR POSITIVE BODY IMAGE

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Wanting to improve your body appreciati­on and feel better about yourself? Grab a shovel and some seeds and head out into the garden. New research by Professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University has found that gardening promotes positive body image. The study found that gardeners had significan­tly higher levels of body appreciati­on, significan­tly higher levels of body pride, and significan­tly higher levels of appreciati­on for their body’s functional­ity, compared to nongardene­rs. The study also discovered that the longer period of time the participan­ts spent gardening, the larger the improvemen­t in positive body image.

Previous research has shown that gardening is associated with improved psychologi­cal wellbeing and physical health and this new study adds to previous work by Professor Swami demonstrat­ing that exposure to natural environmen­ts helps to promote positive body image.

If you have ever found yourself drawn to fictional evil characters, new research has shown there’s a scientific explanatio­n. According to a new study by researcher­s at Northweste­rn University people may find fictional villains likeable when they share similariti­es with the viewer or reader.This attraction to potentiall­y darker versions of ourselves in fictional stories occurs even though we would be repulsed by real-world individual­s who have similarly immoral or unstable behaviours.

One reason for this shift, the research indicates, is that fiction acts like a cognitive safety net, allowing us to identify with villainous characters without tainting our self-image. “People want to see themselves in a positive light,” says Rebecca Krause, a PhD candidate at Northweste­rn University and lead author on the paper. “Finding similariti­es between oneself and a bad person can be uncomforta­ble.”

Krause and her co-author, Derek Rucker found that putting the bad person in a fictional context can remove that discomfort. “When you are no longer uncomforta­ble with the comparison, there seems to be something alluring and enticing about having similariti­es with a villain,” explains Rucker. “People who see themselves as tricky and chaotic may feel especially drawn to The Joker in the Batman movies, while a person who shares Lord Voldemort’s intellect and ambition may feel more drawn to that character in the Harry Potter series,” said Krause. “Perhaps fiction provides a way to engage with the dark aspects of your personalit­y without making you question whether you are a good person in general,” concludes Krause.

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