It’s not just for young girls who read fashion magazines anymore…

Study: Gamers Self-Conscious To “Extreme” Body-Types

If you’ve ever played Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and felt down that you don’t possess Nathan Drake’s rugged good looks–don’t get down–you’re not alone.

According to research by a Kansas State University Psychology professor, gamers that view extremely muscular men or very thin women are more likely to feel self-conscious about their own physique.

Richard Harris, (author of the research) said that his research shows that simply viewing the attractive game character for 15 minutes can negatively impact the player’s image of their own looks and body.

“It was kind of sobering that it did have such a short-term effect,” Harris said.

Harris divided a group of university students up, having the males play a wrestling video game while the females played a beach volleyball game. Before they played, the students completed a survey about their body image. After they played the game for fifteen minutes, they were surveyed again. The new survey showed that the participants, as a whole, viewed their bodies more negatively.

You know what else can leave you with a negative body image?  Friends.  The kind that just drop chances for you to meet people on the floor because you’re not good looking enough to be boyfriend material.