Independent and opposing effects of self-complexity and weight-based social identity threat on well-being among larger-bodied people

This article examines the antagonistic effects of self-complexity and weight-based social identity threat on well-being among larger-bodied people. To this end, we conducted two experiments in which we manipulated self-complexity using a trait sorting task adapted for online studies and manipulated the salience of weight-based social identity threat using the mental imagery task. The results of both studies provided limited evidence that high self-complexity counteracts the negative effects of weight-based social identity threat. While the exploratory findings of Study 1 ( N = 405) suggested that having a high positive self-complexity could counteract or buffer the effects of weight-based social identity threat, Study 2 ( N = 335) did not replicate those findings. These results are discussed in terms of the theoretical implications of self-complexity effectiveness, the self-complexity manipulation employed, and differences in sample demographics.