Your Google Search Habits Actually Reveal A Lot About Your Body Image

Weight loss is a huge issue on the minds of millions of people around the world, and a new study into weight-related search terms shows just how negative those thoughts can be. The team at Bulimia.com, a site dedicated to providing information and treatment options to men and women battling eating disorders, took a look at which weight loss terms were most searched for on Google in the United States. The site used Google Trends to look into the popularity of several weight-related searches over the past 12 months. The results are startling.  Searches for weight loss-related terms generally increase at the beginning of the year, likely due to the fact that "getting in shape" is on the top of many New Year's resolution lists. However, the terms people use when Googling aren't quite as body-positive as we would like. The most-searched for term related to weight loss was "how to lose weight fast," which was Googled 80 percent more than just "how to lose weight." Additionally (but not surprisingly), searches for "how to lose weight fast for women" are much more prevelent than "how to lose weight fast for men." Unfortunately, the term "pro ana," which refers to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, was searched for nearly 40,500 times over the course of the year-long study. Search terms including "thinspiration," "thinspo," and "pro ana tips" also clocked some serious traction.  The search study also showed that fitness, not just thinness, is rising in popularity. The "Fitspiration" phenomena that has been gaining steam across the country and has been searched for nearly as much as its "thin" counterpart. The study also broke down weight-related search terms by city. Boston, Portland, Seattle and Philadelphia searched for "thinspiration" most frequently, while Los Angeles, New York and Chicago were search-crazy for "fitspiration."  Click here to find out more about the study.