Body Dissatisfaction in Teens Linked to Mental Illness in Adulthood: Study

New Study Shows Increased Risk of Eating Disorders, Depression, Weight Gain

December 14, 2025

Many people feel unhappy with how they look, and you may feel the same way. A new study shows that body dissatisfaction has become one of the most common psychological struggles among adolescents, and that these feelings during teenage years are strongly linked to eating disorder symptoms and depression in early adulthood.

Conducted using data from a large U.K. twin cohort, the study found that adolescents (between the ages of 10 and 19) who reported higher levels of body dissatisfaction had significantly more severe eating disorder symptoms by age 21 and more depressive symptoms and higher BMI up to 10 years later.

The study followed teenagers who felt unhappy with their bodies at age 16 and found that even a small increase in body dissatisfaction made a difference. Twins were included in the sample to help separate the effects of body dissatisfaction from the influence of genes and shared family environment.

For every step higher on the body dissatisfaction scale, there was a 9 percent rise in eating disorder symptoms, a 6 percent rise in depression symptoms, and about a 1 percent increase in body weight by early adulthood.

The study found that the risks linked to body dissatisfaction were not limited to teenagers who had already been diagnosed with an eating disorder at age 16. Even those without a diagnosis were more likely to struggle later if they felt unhappy with their bodies. The link between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms was stronger in girls than in boys, but the connection to depression was similar for both.

In the study, body dissatisfaction means feeling unhappy about one’s weight and body shape. It includes both thoughts and emotions, like judging your appearance harshly, and actions, like trying to change your body through dieting. While the study focused on weight and shape, it also recognised that people’s concerns about appearance can go beyond this and are often shaped by cultural beauty standards.

The study didn’t look into where body dissatisfaction comes from, but psychologists have theories about it. One well-known idea, called the Tripartite Influence Model, says that pressure to look a certain way often comes from three main sources: parents, friends and media. These sources influence how young people come to believe in and strive for unrealistic appearance ideals. This process is called “internalisation,” which means taking in these beauty standards as personal goals. It also leads to frequent appearance comparison, where individuals constantly judge themselves against others.

The influence of media is especially damaging when it comes from digital platforms. Social media accelerates and amplifies harmful appearance ideals through curated, filtered and digitally altered content.

Comparing how you look to others on social media can be more harmful than doing so in real life. This is because the images online are often filtered, edited or carefully chosen to appear perfect. What makes it worse is that social media platforms track what users click on and watch, then show more of the same kind of content. For someone already feeling insecure, this means being shown even more unrealistic images, which can increase stress about appearance.

Several developmental studies, not part of the Lancet research, have found that appearance concerns can emerge in early childhood. Some report that children begin absorbing appearance-related stereotypes as young as age three, with many expressing concerns about weight and shape by age five. Between 40 and 60 percent of primary school-aged children have reported dissatisfaction with how they look.

Body image worries show up differently in boys and girls. Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are more often diagnosed in girls, but many boys also feel unhappy with how they look. For boys, the focus is often on wanting to be more muscular rather than thinner. In one survey, nearly one in three six-year-old boys said they wanted bigger muscles, and about one in five said they wanted to be thinner.

Most of the people in the Lancet study were White, so it didn’t look at how body image concerns might differ across cultures or races. But the findings are still relevant in countries like India. Here, beauty standards are strong and often conflicting. Young people are exposed to pressures about fair skin, thinness, muscularity and Western trends. Social media spreads these ideals quickly, and concerns about appearance are growing, even if they are rarely discussed openly.

The Lancet study did not look at possible treatments, but other research shows that some therapies can help. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, has the strongest evidence. It has been shown to make a big difference in improving how people feel about their bodies. CBT works by helping people recognise unhelpful thoughts about their appearance, challenge those thoughts, and gradually face situations they tend to avoid. Another method, called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT, teaches people to manage difficult emotions and focus more on what matters to them rather than how they look. ACT has also shown good results in reducing body image concerns.

Therapies that involve movement, such as dance, yoga, and other body-based activities, are also getting attention for helping people feel more connected to their bodies. These methods focus on how the body feels and moves, not how it looks.

The study did not give advice on public health messaging, but other researchers have suggested a different way to talk about body image. Instead of promoting body positivity, which asks people to love how they look, they suggest focusing on body neutrality. This means accepting your body as it is, without needing to praise it or think about it all the time. For people who feel ashamed or very unhappy with their appearance, this approach can be easier and less stressful. It also allows them to focus their energy on other parts of life that matter to them.

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