The relationship between body mass index and happiness, self-esteem, and depression in young adults

Obesity is a condition with psychological repercussions, hence the importance of identifying psychological and behavioral traits of those afflicted by it. The objective of this work is to analyze happiness, depression, and self-esteem levels in people with normal weight (NP) and overweight/obesity (SO). The sample was comprised of 151 students from the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez (UACJ) with an average age of 21.44 years. Results show a significantly higher score in positive sense of life and personal realization in the SO group in comparison with the NP group. Nonetheless, no significant difference was found in happiness and depression levels. These results part away from those of other existing research which might suggest that people with SO do not experience lack of acceptance from their social environment, a factor normally associated with unhappiness in people with obesity.