The perfect body. We’d give anything to have one, including our sanity.
Researchers at Harvard got together with researchers from Norwegian University of Science and Technology and found men who are obsessed with their physique are vulnerable to suffering from Depression.
The same could be said for women, says Lonestar Fitness owner Kelly Lynch West, who graduated from West Point and used to train soldiers. Obsession is not gender-specific. “I think people who are obsessed with having perfect…anything…are going to become frustrated and depressed. Perfection is an unobtainable goal.”
The study found those neurotic men obsessed with picture-perfect, six-pack abs like actor Shamar Moore’s are also vulnerable to binge-drinking. They should have asked women, too.
It’s those perfect pictures posted constantly on social media that are feeding a collective neurosis for the desiring flawlessness. A little nip and tuck carefully airbrushed can drive to distraction.
“And it can definitely wear on your self-esteem,” says West, whose gym is in Houston. “Why don’t I look like that? I got to the gym five times a week. Why don’t I look that good? I’ll start going six times a week, or seven, and they still don’t get those results, because those results are not realistic. And then they become depressed.”
The problem, she suggests, is with their goals, not their mental health. Regular exercise is an antidote to Depression, according to almost every psychotherapist with an opinion. Obsessions, about anything, can lead to depression.