Social anxiety and weight interact with body salience to affect experiences of social exclusion

Individuals at a higher weight experience greater victimization and exclusion by peers, and limited research suggests that the salience of one's body image may increase negative emotional reactions to social rejection. Additionally, social exclusion is related to higher levels of social anxiety (SA). We examined how body salience interacts with SA and weight to predict anxiety, self-esteem, and negative affect following social rejection.