Sound effects on body perception vary with the social support network of individuals

Mental body representations are malleable in response to sensory cues, including auditory cues. In the “Footsteps illusion”, real-time alteration of the sounds people produce as they walk leads to feelings of changes in own body weight, speed and maleness/femaleness, and evokes behavioral and physiological changes, including emotional changes. Body illusions are known to affect social attitudes towards others, but there is a research gap on the social influence on the malleability of body perceptions. We investigated whether the malleability of body perceptions is modulated by individuals’ social support networks. We employed the auditory “Footsteps illusion” to specifically focus on changes in perceived body weight, which is especially relevant in this context given the social stigmas associated with weight. Leveraging a sample of 105 people, we explored the effects of three filtered footstep sounds conditions (low frequency, high frequency and control) on body-weight perception. We collected and analyzed extensive data (demographics, behavior, physiology, psychology, subjective experiences), which . Participants filled in questionnaires on body image satisfaction and eating disorders, given prior reports on different effects of the "Footsteps illusion" according to eating disorder symptomatology. Results show that, overall, the number of people composing the participants’ support network is positively correlated to body image satisfaction, and negatively correlated to eating disorders symptomatology. This suggests that broader social support enhances one’s positive perception of their body. Critically, a significant interaction between sound condition and social support network parameters indicated a stronger body illusion for participants with a smaller social support network. Our findings suggest that social support networks shape body perception, and call for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying these effects.
Data regarding gait and subjective ratings are included here.