Have there ever been any studies that explained why heavier people tend to be much happier than skinny people?

looney_tunes

One suggestion is that 'comfort eating' does indeed provide comfort, and an increased sense of well-being. http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/a-recipe-for-happiness-eat-drink-get-fat/2006/01/02/1136050387126.html Another suggestion is that it is "not fatness alone [that]cause[s] people to be happier, but increase in body mass index (fat & muscle mass) which, think researchers, is correlated with insulin resistance, and insulin associated with serotonin - the feel-good hormone. So increase in your BMI determine a rise in the quantity of serotonin in your body, which leads to a happy state." http://lifecho.com/2006/01/are-fat-people-happier-than-thin-ones/ On the other hand, these studies are very small, and define happiness in terms of being less likely to exhibit clinical depression and/or suicidal tendencies, not so much in terms of any kind of positive euphoric feeling. Nov 02 08, 12:18 AM