Obesity contagious among friends

[Steve Eisenberg]

Obesity contagious among friends, US study shows

"Friends who are hundreds of miles away have just as much impact on a person's weight status as friends who are right next door," he said.

Thin snoopsters, be scared. Very very scared

[MidgardDragon]

THE EBIL FAT PEOPLE ARE COMING TO BITE YOU AND MAKE YOU JUST LIKE THEM!

We're always influenced by our friends, wether it be their eating habits, drinking habits, or even just them biting their nails. This is any different, any big deal, how? Oh, right, it's fat. We are frightened of teh fat.

So because they are friends they develope similar habits? It couldn't possibly be the fact that because they have similar habits they are friends?
This guy has collected some random statistics and used them to fit his warped view of the world.

Absolutely true as verified by the story.

Fat is Contagious

[Tarquin Farquart]

I would have thought hanging around with people who are fatter than you would make people think you're thinner than you are.

Oooh,that explains everything! I"m not gaining weight because I eat nothing but pizza and fried chicken! It's because of fat people around me!

Tonight I"m gonna order 3 large triple cheese pizzas,invite a few thin people over and just watch the extra pounds melt away!

[PallasAthena]

What's a snoopster and how can I avoid them?

[Morning]

Great, now no one will want to sit next to me at recess....

*** ooooh wierd 40 year flashback***

Just what we needed, more coal to fuel the prejudice flame.

Morning
but, just in case: I'm sorry friend of 28 years for the extra 20 lbs you've picked up since college....

[robbiev]

Originally Posted by MidgardDragon

THE EBIL FAT PEOPLE ARE COMING TO BITE YOU AND MAKE YOU JUST LIKE THEM!

... We are frightened of teh fat.

Finally! We can stop worrying about teh gays!

Ack, more negative propaganda. That WHOLE article could be reversed to say "Fat people that hang around thin people could develop their habits and lose weight", couldn't it? Personaly, I think America is just snooping around to try and find a reason to be discriminatory.

[Esprise Me]

The first explanation that came to my mind was that many fat people might prefer the company of other fat people. I have several friends who struggle with weight, and some of them have indicated that going out with me makes them feel insecure. Since I'm usually the one who gets hit on when I go out with these friends, I can kind of see what they mean. If I were in their shoes I might feel the same way, and instead seek out companions whose figures didn't invite such unfavorable comparisons.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by Master Jaken

That WHOLE article could be reversed to say "Fat people that hang around thin people could develop their habits and lose weight", couldn't it?

No, I don't think it can. I think what surprised them so much was that they found if fat people hang around with thin people, the thin people gain weight.

Seaboe

[snopes]

Scientists believe that social networks not only can spread diseases, like the common cold, but also may influence many types of behavior — negative and positive — which then affect an individual’s health, as well as a community’s.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/we.../05kolata.html

Humans are herd animals. Each person has a select group of people that they will belong to. If you hang out with fat people, you end up going to the places they go and do the same things as they do, theres always exceptions to that rule, but for the most part people try to "fit in" with the group they choose to be with. It goes back to natural instincts. Remember in the law of nature the animals that stuck out of the group were usually the first to be preyed upon.

Try thinking about your own relationships with the people you hang out with, how often do you find yourself going along with the rest of your inner circle even if your gut instinct tells you that you shouldn't? How many times have you said "well, I really shouldn't be eating this" yet you still end up eating it? Or "well I really shouldn't have another drink" but because everyone else in your group has ordered another round you go along to fit in?

Everything we do in our lives have either an impact on our families and friends or they have an impact on our decisions. How many smokers hang around with non smokers? Not many for a number of reasons, but the number 1 reason is non smokers are afraid that by being around smokers they will start smoking. Or the other way around, every smoker I have known that hung around with non smokers ended up quiting. Same with drug addicts and alcoholics, if they continue to hang with people that use, the chances are they will end up using. If they hang around people that don't use then theres a good chance they won't go back to using.

People have a great influance on our lives and we have the same effect in their lives.

[Esprise Me]

Originally Posted by mrcheerful

How many smokers hang around with non smokers? Not many for a number of reasons, but the number 1 reason is non smokers are afraid that by being around smokers they will start smoking.

I'm not afraid that if I hang around smokers, I will "start smoking." When I hang around smokers who are actively smoking at that moment, I am smoking. This is why it's being outlawed in restaurants and bars; it's not to discourage smokers from slowly killing themselves, it's to protect the rest of us from their habits--particularly the employees of the establishment.

[ThistleS]

I'm really surprised by the negative reaction to this study. Is it so horrible that a social scientist has determined that perhaps social networks have to do with obesity?

I know that personally, my eating habits tend to conform to those of the people I'm around most. I would never blame others if I began to gain weight, but knowing that my habits are being influenced socially could be an important piece of knowledge in losing that weight.

[erinker74]

Originally Posted by ThistleS

I'm really surprised by the negative reaction to this study. Is it so horrible that a social scientist has determined that perhaps social networks have to do with obesity?

I know that personally, my eating habits tend to conform to those of the people I'm around most. I would never blame others if I began to gain weight, but knowing that my habits are being influenced socially could be an important piece of knowledge in losing that weight.

I don't find it surprising, but I am afraid of its possible implications. Society as a whole already harbors such hatred (yes, hatred) for fat people, I worry that reports like this can really add fuel to an already out of control fire. It is true that this "revelation" is really not much different than many other sociological principles, but the general public has neither the ability nor the incilination to acknowledge this. I really fear so many people that already consider fat people like me to be unworthy of respect will now have even more reason for scorn.

It is already extraordinarily difficult to be a fat woman in America. Reports like this, whether they are true or not, just make things worse.

Then again, I suppose there are still millions of souls who think that shame and humiliation are just the motivations we fatties need to get off our fat asses and lose weight. *sigh*

Maybe we should just get our own state (or two). Skinny people won't have to be burdened with looking at us, and we won't have to feel like worthless turds when we are standing next to a skinny woman! It's win-win!

[erinker74]

Originally Posted by ThistleS

I know that personally, my eating habits tend to conform to those of the people I'm around most. I would never blame others if I began to gain weight, but knowing that my habits are being influenced socially could be an important piece of knowledge in losing that weight.

Also, how would you use that knowledge? Let's say you have three fat girlfriends that you are spending a lot of time with. Suddenly, you realize you are putting on a few pounds. Do you say to yourself, Wow, I am putting on some weight. My fat friends are influencing my eating habits so I better not hang out with them for a while, or do you say, Wow, I am putting on some weight so I need to be more conscientious about my food choices?

[ThistleS]

Originally Posted by erinker74

Also, how would you use that knowledge? Let's say you have three fat girlfriends that you are spending a lot of time with. Suddenly, you realize you are putting on a few pounds. Do you say to yourself, Wow, I am putting on some weight. My fat friends are influencing my eating habits so I better not hang out with them for a while, or do you say, Wow, I am putting on some weight so I need to be more conscientious about my food choices?

The latter. This is actually happening to me right now- my boyfriend and roommate are both much taller than me, and naturally bigger. Not necessarily fat, but they carry more weight per inch than I tend to, if that makes sense. So they eat a LOT more than I normally would. I have been keeping up with them in the eating department without realizing it, because food is such a big part of household bonding. So I've put on a couple of pounds, and now that I realize it's mainly because I've been eating like a 5'10" woman or a 6' man, instead of a 5'4" relatively petite woman, I can moderate my portions and my meal frequency.

I would certainly not stop hanging out with my fat friends. I sympathize very much with what you've said about being a fat woman in America. I agree that it's possible, maybe even likely, that this study will cause people to demonize the fat. However, I really don't think it's right to suppress knowledge because it could be used the wrong way. More knowledge is usually better. For this situation, yes, if people stop at "having fat friends makes you fat" then fat people may be demonized and ostracized. However, if they read the rest of the article/ study, they will learn that part of the reason for this effect may be that one's habits and perceptions about food change depending on the influence of one's friends. That would be good knowledge to have if the person wanted to moderate the effects.

I just don't think science should be suppressed or discouraged in the pursuit of social goals.

[erinker74]

Originally Posted by ThistleS

I would certainly not stop hanging out with my fat friends. I sympathize very much with what you've said about being a fat woman in America. I agree that it's possible, maybe even likely, that this study will cause people to demonize the fat. However, I really don't think it's right to suppress knowledge because it could be used the wrong way. More knowledge is usually better. For this situation, yes, if people stop at "having fat friends makes you fat" then fat people may be demonized and ostracized. However, if they read the rest of the article/ study, they will learn that part of the reason for this effect may be that one's habits and perceptions about food change depending on the influence of one's friends. That would be good knowledge to have if the person wanted to moderate the effects.

I just don't think science should be suppressed or discouraged in the pursuit of social goals.

(Bolding mine) I can absolutely agree with that, and I struggle with the issue too. It is certainly true that "if they read the rest of the article/ study, they will learn that part of the reason for this effect may be that one's habits and perceptions about food change depending on the influence of one's friends. " I just know that a very large majority of Americans don't read past the headline, and the headlines are often deliberately misleading in order to attract readers (as is the case here).

There is just an alarming trend I see emerging lately. It started with the "obesity increases healthcare costs for everyone" argument, continued with Oprah's praise of a book that advocates not looking at fat people lest we make you fat, and now this. It is worriesome.