Are Thin People Unhappy?

The UK Independent has a curious article declaring that slim equals sad, and fat equals happy. Hang on, isn't that supposed to be the other way round?

Is this science or random guesswork? The article refers to research undertaken by the Bristol University (et al), that appeared in the Journal of Epidemiology. The authors investigated the link between BMI and suicide and discovered that for each 5kg per square metre increase in BMI, the risk of suicide decreased by 15 per cent.

Over a 16-year period, the ups and downs of more than a million lives were examined and it was found that as a person's body mass index (BMI) rose the risk of serious depression fell. And when the scientists considered more than 3,000 people who had committed suicide they found that their BMI was on average significantly lower than those who did not kill themselves.

These conclusions fly in the face of other studies - such as this Swedish research linking obesity and depression in teens.

So who is happy here? Thin people or fat people? Is the causal relationship between body size and mental health a vicious roundabout - you get depressed and you don't eat, and you get thinner. Or - you get depressed and you become more sedentary and therefore put on weight.

I believe it's a matter of extremes - people at each extreme tend to be unhappier than those around the "middle". Very obese and very thin people are (in my opinion) often very unhappy people. The Independent article goes on to publish some "anti-dieting" messages:

"Being thin is not all it's cracked up to be. Getting there and staying that way can be a real mental drain for some. Dieting is about deprivation. It can make you more depressed than being obese.

"I tried diets with the food replacement drinks. I felt I was being punished and the portions were being reduced for no justifiable reason."

Once again, it is dieting that is at fault here - the obsessions, restrictions, and deprivation - they all wreak havoc on good mental health. If you are naturally thin (and it had nothing to do with dieting) then why should you be unhappy? Unless your low levels of body fat are interfering with normal hormonal function.

Are the stereotypes real? The fat jolly person who laughs a lot. The bitchy rail-thin woman who is always irritable.

The concept of temporary dieting is flawed. It's no good for your body or your mind. So is that concept of "if only". "If only I was slim then I would be [happy/sexy/loved/popular]". Certainly being slim might make you conform to the "fashion standard" - but how does that make you happier inside?

Happiness is a choice - whether you are fat or thin.