http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=abtcMYhd4x2w&refer=us
U.S. Men Have More Distorted Body Image Than Asians, Study Says
Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Men in the U.S. and Europe are more likely to overestimate female desire for muscular mates than their East Asian counterparts, says a study published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Western men said women preferred a physique with 20 to 30 pounds more muscle than the average man. Yet women chose men without the added bulk when asked what type of male body they liked most, according to the study by Belmont, Massachusetts- based McLean Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Taiwanese men correctly noted that women don't desire muscle-bound men. The study's findings may help explain why male body image disorders and anabolic steroid abuse are problems in Western cultures, yet almost nonexistent in Asia, said Harrison Pope, head of McLean Hospital's Biological Psychiatry Laboratory.
``Steroid abuse is just not an issue in Pacific Rim countries,'' Pope said in an interview. ``Even though one can easily buy steroids in places like Beijing without a doctor's prescription.''
The researchers, led by Harvard undergraduate student Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, asked 55 male university students in Taiwan to select pictures closest to their own bodies, the body they'd like to have, the body of the average Taiwanese male and the body that Taiwanese women prefer.
The results were then compared with results from identical studies conducted in the U.S., France and Austria.
``Western men are much more concerned about looking muscular than men in the Pacific Rim,'' said Pope, one of the study's senior authors.
The difference in cultures is one possible explanation, according to the article. For example, statues from Ancient Greece typically show men with ample muscle, whereas sculptures from China rarely depict such male brawn.
``There's more tradition of muscle and physical prowess in Western culture,'' Pope said. ``Whereas the Chinese idea of masculinity has more to do with fortitude of character and intellect.''
Another reason for the difference could be that Western males, unlike Asians, are bombarded with images of muscular men in advertisements. Another possible cause could be that women in the U.S. and Europe have more parity with men than their counterparts in East Asia.
``Nowadays, women can do almost anything that a man can do with one exception: They can't bench press 315 pounds, no matter what the Supreme Court says,'' Pope said. ``It may be a last refuge of masculinity for some men in the West.''
U.S. Men Have More Distorted Body Image Than Asians, Study Says
Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Men in the U.S. and Europe are more likely to overestimate female desire for muscular mates than their East Asian counterparts, says a study published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Western men said women preferred a physique with 20 to 30 pounds more muscle than the average man. Yet women chose men without the added bulk when asked what type of male body they liked most, according to the study by Belmont, Massachusetts- based McLean Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Taiwanese men correctly noted that women don't desire muscle-bound men. The study's findings may help explain why male body image disorders and anabolic steroid abuse are problems in Western cultures, yet almost nonexistent in Asia, said Harrison Pope, head of McLean Hospital's Biological Psychiatry Laboratory.
``Steroid abuse is just not an issue in Pacific Rim countries,'' Pope said in an interview. ``Even though one can easily buy steroids in places like Beijing without a doctor's prescription.''
The researchers, led by Harvard undergraduate student Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, asked 55 male university students in Taiwan to select pictures closest to their own bodies, the body they'd like to have, the body of the average Taiwanese male and the body that Taiwanese women prefer.
The results were then compared with results from identical studies conducted in the U.S., France and Austria.
``Western men are much more concerned about looking muscular than men in the Pacific Rim,'' said Pope, one of the study's senior authors.
The difference in cultures is one possible explanation, according to the article. For example, statues from Ancient Greece typically show men with ample muscle, whereas sculptures from China rarely depict such male brawn.
``There's more tradition of muscle and physical prowess in Western culture,'' Pope said. ``Whereas the Chinese idea of masculinity has more to do with fortitude of character and intellect.''
Another reason for the difference could be that Western males, unlike Asians, are bombarded with images of muscular men in advertisements. Another possible cause could be that women in the U.S. and Europe have more parity with men than their counterparts in East Asia.
``Nowadays, women can do almost anything that a man can do with one exception: They can't bench press 315 pounds, no matter what the Supreme Court says,'' Pope said. ``It may be a last refuge of masculinity for some men in the West.''
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