Exploring an embodiment model of intuitive eating and attunement with exercise: The mediating role of intrinsic motivation
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Date
2023-03
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Abstract
Psychological well-being is fostered when individuals are in touch with their body's internal
needs and accept those needs without judgment. In contrast, psychological distress occurs when
individuals ignore or denounce their body's needs when they do not align with external pressures
and are geared toward fulfilling societal expectations (Rogers, 1961). Examples of this process
are when individuals choose to modify their eating and exercise based on sociocultural
appearance ideals (e.g., dieting, rigid exercise) rather than pay attention to what foods and
movement their body needs. Paying attention and listening to the body's needs for nourishment
and movement are fundamental components of intuitive eating and attunement with exercise.
The concept of listening to the body coincides with the theoretical approach, embodiment, which
encompasses how one engages their body with the world (Piran, 2019). Embodiment provides
insight into the level of connection and understanding that one has with their body. Embodiment
may encourage intrinsic (internal) motivation, which could mediate, or connect the extent one is
positively embodied with their engagement in intuitive eating and attuned exercise behaviors.
Conversely, embodiment may be inversely related to extrinsic (external) motivation, which could
mediate the extent one is negatively embodied with their disordered eating and dysfunctional
exercise behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore these models and to determine
whether the strength of their pathways differ for women and men. It was hypothesized that (a)
embodiment would be positively associated with intrinsic motivation, intuitive eating, and
attuned exercise and (b) intrinsic motivation would mediate the relationship from embodiment to
intuitive eating and attuned exercise. It was also hypothesized that (c) embodiment would be
negatively associated with extrinsic motivation, disordered eating, and dysfunctional exercise
and (d) extrinsic motivation would mediate the relationship from embodiment to disordered
eating and dysfunctional exercise. Given that women experience increased external pressures to
align with sociocultural appearance ideals more so than men (Linardon, Tylka, &
Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, 2021), it was hypothesized that (e) gender would moderate these
associations. To test these hypotheses, 571 participants (U.S. adult community members on
Prolific Academic) completed a survey through Qualtrics, which included the Intuitive Eating
Scale-3 (IES-3), Experience of Embodiment Scale (EES), Attunement with Exercise
Scale-Clinical (AWE-C), Dutch Eating Behaviors Questionnaire-Restraint Scale (DEBQRestraint), and Global Motivation Scale (GMS). The sample consisted of 274 female, 280 male,
and 17 nonbinary participants (76.2% white, 23.8% minority) who had an average age of 36 (SD
= 12). Most hypotheses were supported. There were significant correlations between
embodiment, intuitive eating, and attunement with exercise; however, intrinsic motivation did
not mediate these associations. Embodiment has such a strong correlation with intuitive eating
and attunement with exercise, that it does not leave much margin for intrinsic motivation to
mediate these associations. Further, there were significant correlations between embodiment,
disordered eating, and dysfunctional exercise. For women, extrinsic motivation had a significant
correlation between extrinsic motivation mediating women's disorder eating and dysfunctional
exercise. This aligns with previous studies that women receive more scrutiny and societal
pressures regarding their appearance.
Description
Human Experience (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)
Keywords
Embodiment, Motivation, Intuitive Eating, Attunement with Exercise