Writing exercises can improve body image in women

Writing can be a beautiful exercise for women struggling with body images, a new study has found. It suggested that self- compassion and body functionalityfocused letters could improve body image in women. The study published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly.

The study revealed that body dissatisfaction among women is widespread and can lead to a number of worrisome outcomes, including eating disorders, depression, and anxiety and hence, the researcher tested the effect of three specific writing exercises on college women's body satisfaction.

"In the first two studies, we found that spending just 15 minutes writing and reviewing one of three specific types of letters to oneself can significantly increase women's body satisfaction, at least short- term," Renee Engeln, Professor at Northwestern University.

In two of the letter- writing interventions, the focus was on self- compassion. One was a basic selfcompassion letter, the other was a self- compassionate letter directed specifically at the body, the researchers mentioned.

"The third type of letterwriting intervention asked women to write a letter to their body, showing gratitude for all of its functions -- everything it does to help you get through every day. Relative to control conditions, all three of these letters increased body satisfaction," the researcher added.

In the final study, the researchers turned the letter- writing instructions into a simpler, faster writing activity that could be completed online. It was the same basic idea, but women wrote a series of sentences instead of a more formal letter.

More than 1,000 college women completed the study, which once again showed that self- compassion and body functionalityfocused letters could improve body image, the researchers noted.