The Impact That Body Image Has On Happiness

Did you know that, according to a recent study, Finland is ranked the happiest country in the world? 

In fact, this is the third year in a row that Finland has made it to the top of the list, plus this year cities have also been ranked in this study for the first time; marking Helsinki, Finland’s capital, the happiest city in the world! Meanwhile, the UK ranks at 13th happiest country in the world, just behind Canada (11th) and Australia (12th).

The benefits of happiness

Given the circumstances of the past year and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unsurprising that when compared with the year before, the average ratings of happiness in the UK fell by 1.1% in the year ending March 2020.

While we can pinpoint the cause of the decrease in overall happiness, that doesn’t change the fact that people of the UK are missing out on the benefits that happiness can bring, such as:

• Improved heart health
• A stronger immune system and an overall healthier lifestyle
• Increased life longevity
• Increased creativity and productivity
• Being more adaptive to stressful situations

Body image and happiness

Body image impacts us both mentally, as a mental image of what our bodies look like, and emotionally, as to how we feel about our bodies when we look at them.

This then ties in directly to your self-esteem, so if you have good self-esteem where you value and respect yourself as a person, you’ll likely have a healthy body image where you truly accept and like the way your body looks. 

Whereas, if you have poor self-esteem chances are you’ll have a poor body image because if you don’t like your body, it impacts how you feel about yourself as a whole. And vice versa is also true, as not valuing yourself makes it difficult to give your body the respect it deserves.

Having a negative body image and poor self-esteem not only impacts your mental health but can also reduce happiness levels. In fact, a study from Chapman University, looking at the link between satisfaction with appearance and overall satisfaction, showed that our body image and our feelings about weight and appearance play a major role in how happy we are.

Ways to improve your body image

So, given that body image plays a part in our overall happiness, how can we improve the way that we see and feel about our bodies?

Why not try:

• Viewing well-balanced meals and exercising as a way to make you feel good and strong rather than a way to control your body.
• Dress to make yourself feel good, in clothes that fit your body well.
• Write a positive message that helps you feel good about yourself on mirrors at home.
• When you have negative thoughts about your body, list other, more positive, qualities you have that are more important.
• Write a list of the positive things about your body, like how strong it is or how it allows you to take walks.
• Don’t compare yourself to others, particularly on social media or in other forms of media.
• Correct yourself when you judge yourself or others based on weight, shape, or size.
• Talk to a friend about it, try and see yourself through their eyes.

Get a little boost of happiness with Noogleberry!

For International Day of Happiness this year, on Saturday 20th March, here at Noogleberry, we’re offering a limited time discount to raise those happiness levels!

Get £5 off our products on any order over £10 with the discount code HAPPINESS. But you'll have to be quick, as this discount is only available on Saturday 20th March!