Are Eating Disorders Contagious? The Bad and the Good News

Eating disorders are not infectious like viruses, but they spread through social networks. A study of more than 700,000 teenagers found that having one classmate diagnosed with an eating disorder increased a student’s risk by 9%, and having more than one increased risk to 18% within the first year. Social influence is the mechanism, and adolescents are especially vulnerable. When friends engage in disordered eating and negative body talk, higher rates of eating pathology are reported. Restrictive eating can become normalized, and body criticism can become a common conversational pattern. Over time, individual struggles can develop into shared beliefs and behaviors. Positive peer influence can reduce risk, just as negative influence increases it.

"Restrictive eating gets normalized, and body criticism becomes a common mode of conversation. Over time, what began as one person's struggle can become a shared framework. Just as negative peer influence can raise eating disorder risk, positive peer influence can lower it."

Read at Psychology Today