Why does it matter, you may ask. Well . . . there's a new study saying that fatties have a less accurate grasp of reality.
For now we're only talking about physical reality - the ability to judge distance, to be precise. But who's to say it stops there?
Obese people live in altered reality where they can't judge distances accurately, scientists say
Obese people are trapped in an altered reality where distances appear longer, making them less inclined to exercise, scientists have found.
Astonishing new research suggests the world actually appears more daunting to fatter people, in the same way that a hill might seem higher if you were wearing a heavy backpack.
Researchers say that it creates a vicious cycle were those who need to lose weight find it harder to get started.
They even suggest that obese people should wear telescopic glasses to offset the effect.
In a study presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, scientists recruited hundreds of people who shopped at Walmart and asked them to judge the distance of a cone placed on a road 25 metres away.
They found that people who were 9 stone judged the cone to be 15 metres away while those who were 23 stone thought it was 30 metres.
Dr Jessica Witt, associate professor of cognitive psychology at Colorado State University said: “We think that these perceptual biases can create a vicious cycle for people with obesity where they see the world as impossible to navigate.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...udge-distances-accurately-scientists-say.html
For now we're only talking about physical reality - the ability to judge distance, to be precise. But who's to say it stops there?
Obese people live in altered reality where they can't judge distances accurately, scientists say
Obese people are trapped in an altered reality where distances appear longer, making them less inclined to exercise, scientists have found.
Astonishing new research suggests the world actually appears more daunting to fatter people, in the same way that a hill might seem higher if you were wearing a heavy backpack.
Researchers say that it creates a vicious cycle were those who need to lose weight find it harder to get started.
They even suggest that obese people should wear telescopic glasses to offset the effect.
In a study presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, scientists recruited hundreds of people who shopped at Walmart and asked them to judge the distance of a cone placed on a road 25 metres away.
They found that people who were 9 stone judged the cone to be 15 metres away while those who were 23 stone thought it was 30 metres.
Dr Jessica Witt, associate professor of cognitive psychology at Colorado State University said: “We think that these perceptual biases can create a vicious cycle for people with obesity where they see the world as impossible to navigate.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...udge-distances-accurately-scientists-say.html
