Research

Adherence

Autonomous motivation and general self-determination buffer against sociocultural pressures to be thin and reduce the endorsement of the thin-ideal, leading to healthier eating behaviors.

To protect yourself from societal pressure to be thin, focus on developing autonomous motivation. Ask yourself why you are regulating your eating. If it is to align with your own health values (autonomy), feel capable of managing your body (competence), and feel connected to others (relatedness), you are less likely to succumb to the thin-ideal and more likely to engage in healthy, sustainable eating behaviors.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
General self-determination can function as a buffer against sociocultural pressures to be thin and adopting the thin-ideal, which constitute risk factors for body image concerns and disordered eating.
Joke Verstuyf et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2012

Why this rating

Based on correlational studies reviewed in the paper.

Source

Motivational dynamics of eating regulation: a self-determination theory perspective

Joke Verstuyf et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2012

DOI 10.1186/1479-5868-9-21

narrative_reviewCited 195×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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