Body dissatisfaction, rumination and attentional disengagement toward computer-generated bodies

Body dissatisfaction and rumination have been linked to attentional bias towards ideal and/or overweight body figures. However, methodological diversity in visual stimuli datasets usage has prevented straightforward comparisons between different studies on body dissatisfaction. Here, we applied a validated computer-generated body stimuli dataset to assess attentional disengagement in a non-clinical sample of 41 women. Self-reported body dissatisfaction and rumination were assessed either as correlational variables or as a function of attentional disengagement. Results indicated that attentional disengagement towards bodies explained 19% of the ruminative thinking variance, but only attentional disengagement towards overweight bodies positively correlated with rumination. An unexpected association between body dissatisfaction and attentional bias towards overweight bodies was observed. The more dissatisfied the subject was with their own body the faster their responses towards overweight body pictures (negative attentional disengagement). Results are discussed in relation to the limits of using computer-generated body pictures for emotional activation purposes. The negativity/positivity ratio for this type of image is also discussed considering attentional bias assessment.