9 Questions Men Have For Women Answered By Science

6. Why Do You Think You€™re Fat When You€™re Not?

Pro-tip: if someone asks you if an item of clothing makes them look fat and it doesn't, just say no. It's not rocket science. Anyway, scientists at UCL think they might've figured out why people tend to think they're bigger than they actually are. They have discovered that the brain's "map" of the body is "dramatically distorted", perhaps by as much as two thirds. Researchers got test subjects to place their hands under a screen and the estimate certain landmarks such as knuckles and fingertips. The length of the fingers was judged to be an average 27.9% longer than reality and the distance between thumb and index finger was a whopping 69% off. It is thought that this kind of distorted model could be one of the reasons behind why people always seem to think they're fatter than they are. This combined with research by Brigham Young University in the US, could provide us with answers. In the study, women and men were shown pictures of overweight strangers. The women's brains were shown to have more activity in the medial prefrontal cortex - a part associated with self-image and reflection - showing similar activity to those with eating disorders. Men generally had no activity at all, except for in the case of body builders. It's thought that the extreme focus on body size for both groups could actually cultivate an actual, tangible fear of being overweight. All this said, it's probably just easier to say "no you look great".