Are Overweight People Unhappy?

Despite the stereotype of the jovial man with the large belly, or even the smiling Buddha, overweight people are often seen as unhappy. But is this necessarily so? Do we do ourselves a disservice by dismissing them this way?

I think if we were to take a step back, we would realize that there are people of all sizes who are both happy, and not. Looking at the nig picture, we could see how much of an over simplification this really is. How many of us are really happy? And whether we are unhappy or not, how many of us can really put a finger of the source of our happiness, sorrow, pain or pleasure?

In my work with stress management and executive coaching I use the Quality of Life Inventory. This is a scientifically proven assessment tool that doubles as a coaching or counseling tool by pin pointing the sources of our happiness and unhappiness. This can really help you become a happier person, by showing you how and where your efforts should be made. One client was very unhappy with their living situation. Seeing this laid out on paper, and answering questions about the issues, allowed them to see that they were expecting their old life. Unfortunately, their old life had ended, as happens frequently in this kind of economy.

Although their current situation, being back home after years of independence, was not ideal, their unhappiness came from their expectations. They will probably never enjoy living back at home with their family, but it is now neutralized and no longer a source of unhappiness.

So yes, some people may be unhappy because they are overweight. Some overweight people may even have behaviors that contribute to their weight problems including physical and mental health issues, medications etc. Thinking that all overweight people are unhappy is just not true, and a gross oversimplification. Happiness, whether yours or someone else, is contagious though. Focus on that. Do something today to make yourself, or someone else a little bit happier. And pass it on. Next we will look briefly at how stress contributes to weight gain, or loss.