The effect of personal grooming on self-perceived body image.

Objective: Grooming behaviours, including application of fragranced products, are thought to reflect a means of managing social impressions and self-image. While application of deodorants has previously been shown to make individuals appear more confident to others, few studies have specifically examined the psychological effects of such rituals on the wearer. Here we investigated how grooming behaviours affect selfperceived body image, a central component of an individual’s self-image. Methods: In two separate experiments, using a psychophysical forced choice task, male and female participants with a normal body mass index (BMI) indicated whether projected life-size images of their own body were bigger or smaller than their actual size. In the experimental condition participants applied a fragranced deodorant before performing the task, while in the control condition no product was applied. Our dependent measures were the Point of Subjective Equality (PSE), the size at which participants report their body is subjectively equal to their actual body size, and the Difference Limen (DL), the amount of change in body size distortion necessary for it to be reliably detected. These measurements provide an index of attitudinal and perceptual components of body image respectively.