A woman's happiness about her body boosts her ability to accept personal disappointments throughout life, according to recent findings published in the journal Body Image.

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"Women may experience a more positive body image and better eating habits if they approach disappointments and distress with kindness and the recognition that these struggles are a normal part of life," said lead study author Professor Allison Kelly of the Department of Psychology at Waterloo, in a news release. "How we treat ourselves during difficult times that may seem unrelated to our bodies and eating seems to have a bearing on how we feel about our bodies and our relationship with food."

Researchers found new evidence suggesting that body confidence could help protect young womens's images's of themselves overall, and help protect them against eating disorders and unsafe dieting methods, in particular.

For the latest findings, researchers examined data on 153 female undergraduate students who provided their body mass index measurements and answered questionnaires that measured their self-compassion, self-esteem, body image and eating habits.

Findings revealed that those who were more comfortable with their bodies were more protected against such issues.

"Regardless of their weight, women with higher self-compassion have better body image and fewer concerns about weight, body shape or eating," concluded Kelly. "There is something about a high level of acceptance and understanding of oneself that helps people not necessarily view their bodies more positively, but rather acknowledge their bodies' imperfections and be okay with them."

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