# Does Body Checking Regulate Emotions? An Experimental Study on Appearance- and Health-Related Body Checking

## TL;DR

This study shows that body checking, like checking one's appearance or health, increases negative emotions in the short term, contradicting previous theories.

## Contribution

The study experimentally challenges the assumption that body checking reduces negative affect in healthy individuals.

## Key findings

- Negative affect and disorder-specific pathology increased after body checking tasks.
- Control checking reduced negative emotions, unlike appearance- and health-related body checking.
- Current theories about body checking may need reevaluation due to its short-term adverse effects.

## Abstract

Body checking (BC) is widespread among healthy populations and in individuals with eating disorders (EDs), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and illness anxiety disorder (IAD). Etiological models of these three disorders originate from research on obsessive-compulsive disorder and propose a short-term reduction of negative affect after BC. However, as empirical evidence shows a heterogenous pattern regarding the reduction of negative affect, the primary objective of this study was to test the etiological models in a cross-over laboratory experiment.

After induction of negative affect, N = 102 healthy females underwent a 10-min BC task, in which they were randomly assigned to perform ED-, BDD-, or IAD-related BC, and a 10-min control checking condition of checking the characteristics of two vases. Before and after each task, participants completed state questionnaires on affect and disorder-specific pathology.

The results revealed increased negative affect and disorder-specific pathology from before to after BC, but a reduction of these variables after the control checking condition.

Thus, contrary to expectation, the theory explaining reduced negative affect in compulsive checking may not directly be applicable to ED-, BDD-, and IAD-related BC in healthy populations, thus providing evidence of the dysfunctionality of BC in the short term.

Cognitive-behavioral models propose a short-term reduction of negative affect after body checking.Empirical evidence challenges those assumptions for appearance- and health-related body checking.In our study, negative affect increased post-checking, highlighting its short-term adverse effect.The study highlights the overall dysfunctionality of body checking behaviors.Findings suggest current theories on body checking reinforcement mechanisms may require reevaluation.

Cognitive-behavioral models propose a short-term reduction of negative affect after body checking.

Empirical evidence challenges those assumptions for appearance- and health-related body checking.

In our study, negative affect increased post-checking, highlighting its short-term adverse effect.

The study highlights the overall dysfunctionality of body checking behaviors.

Findings suggest current theories on body checking reinforcement mechanisms may require reevaluation.