Weight Is Contagious!

Are the people close to you (your friends, family members, coworkers, especially those of the same gender) a bit overweight? Very overweight? Are they thin? What are you?

An article on the contagiousness of obesity, published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that friends and family members, especially of the same gender, significantly influence whether a person is thin or obese.

Is Obesity Contagious? provided by WebMD

I found the article on the contagiousness of weight, because today, there are articles on many news services on how social networking significantly influences smokers to quit. The article references another study that shows a similar effect with obesity. I found that interesting and looked up the study on the contagiousness of weight (the one discussed on the link above).

People can influence the weight of their friends and family members when they use their social networks to help them lose weight. Becoming thin and enlisting your friends and family can help more than just your/my weight efforts. The same with gaining weight. How do you think those of you who read this blog influence the weight of those close (emotionally, not physically) to you? Do you think they influence your perception of what is a good weight, without your realizing it at times?

I had a nice conversation with my grandmother not long ago, who gave her impression that people in city centers (like Manhattan or London) often tend to be thinner, while people farther out are often heavier. In working with different clients, I have seen how some companies' employees can generally be heavier or thinner. In my experience, the same goes for smoking. Smoking is more or less prevalent in different client and in different office locations.

I think the study on the contagiousness of weight has social implications that each person can think about. What role do you/I play in the weight of your friends and family? What role do they play in your/my perception of an acceptable weight?

The studies, on both weight and smoking, also give employers some food for thought. How can they help create social environments that help drive employees to lose weight and drop smoking?