As a result, fat people see distances as being further and slopes as being steeper.

 

This could put them off exercising and so leave them trapped in a vicious circle, where the fatter they get, the less activity they want to do.

 

Researcher Jessica Witt said, of Colorado State University, said it is wrong to assume that we all perceive the world in the same way.

 

In one study, she asked 66 people of different shapes and sizes to estimate how far away a traffic cone¹ was.

 

The cone was actually 25m away.

 

Those who were a slim nine stone saw it as being just 15m from them, but those who weighed in at 23 stone judged it to be 30m away - or twice as far.

 

Dr Witt’s research, which involved hundreds of people overall, also showed that the overweight perceive slopes as being steeper.

 

She believes these calculations are done unconsciously and are the body’s way of saving it from the extra effort needed to exercise when overweight.

 

Importantly, they have no control over this.

 

So, far from being lazy when they baulk at the thought of exercise, the overweight are simply being seeing the world differently.

点击收听单词发音