What influence, if any, do our social networks have on the obesity epidemic? Researchers found that if an individual has just one friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 45%.  If they have a friend-of-a-friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 25%. And if they have a friend of a friend of a friend that is obese, this increases their chances of obesity by 10%.

Research concluded that our lives are influenced and shaped by the people closest to us.  This is also known as Affiliation Theory.  There are 3 possible causes for this:

1. Induction – your obesity is directly causative of my obesity.
2. Homophily – we gravitate towards each other because of a link or we share something in common.
3. Confounding – we share a common environmental exposure.

If behaviors within a reference group are pervasive enough, then the behaviors leading to obesity become an unconscious standard for what is acceptable. It becomes a part of our sub-conscious social-mental programming.

It stands to reason that if the Affiliation Theory is a common cause for obesity, then there has to be an inverse causality. Through group expert participation that facilitates the development of healthy networks, we can help people establish the behaviors that serve them best.

We are very guilty of treating the symptoms versus the behavioral drives of obesity. If we don’t determine what the behavioral triggers are, or what the root cause of the problem is, then we don’t have a solution. If we don’t have the solution then we become part of the problem because we drive what is known as learned helplessness. This means that we make problems much more complex and don’t give any viable solution. Thus, the next choice for an individual might be to not do anything at all because they don’t believe a solution exists.

What if the pain of weight loss is greater than the desire for change? If reference groups are so powerful in their influence over people’s behaviors, then what happens if a person comes into gym & starts losing weight outside of social network for support? What happens if the more they lose weight, the more they start to feel guilt, loneliness, rejection & maybe even depression? Without the replacement of the social network, we may be driving recidivism.

If we can encourage people to show up and have fun in groups, we can foster a new social network that allows them to derive support and a sense of belonging. Belonging is a fundamental human need – more important to an individual than esteem and the recognition for accomplishments (such as weight loss). If we can create that dynamic for people, we may solve a huge part of the weight-loss challenge.