Study finds clue to eating disorders
The brains of men and women behave differently when confronted with unpleasant words concerning body image, research revealed today.
Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are about 10 times more common in women than men. Now researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan have found men are more rational in their processing of words that could trigger body image concerns, while women are more emotional. The study found different parts of the brain were activated in men and women when words such as "heavy", "obesity", and "corpulence" were shown to them.
The research is reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
