Obesity distorts vision Fat people see distances getting farther

Weight can affect people's judgment of distance, a new study by Colorado State University in the United States has found. Overeating and lack of exercise not only lead to a thicker waist, but also distort people's spatial vision, making overweight people feel that distances are farther and mountains are harder to climb.

Researchers asked 66 participants with different body types to estimate the specific distances of two traffic cones. The actual placement distance of the traffic cones was 25 meters. Normal-weight participants (about 57 kilograms) estimated the distance to be approximately 15 meters, while overweight participants weighing as much as 146 kilograms came up with a result that was twice as far as the normal participants, at 30 meters. Researchers also had the participants judge the steepness of slopes at a greater distance. The results showed that in the eyes of overweight people, even small slopes could appear very steep.

Dr. Jessica Witt, a researcher at the university, said that people's estimates of distance or slopes are subconscious behaviors that cannot be controlled voluntarily. Therefore, when it comes to exercise and fitness, overweight people do not retreat due to a lazy mentality, but may because their perception of the world is indeed different from that of people with normal weight. This is like a person carrying a heavy burden across a river, making them believe the river has become wider and deeper. For overweight people, this feeling can easily lead to a vicious cycle: they may be reluctant to move because they feel the world is hard to handle, and the more they don't move, the easier it is to become fatter. Experts say that in addition to weight loss measures such as dietary control, overweight people should also start with small amounts of exercise and gradually increase the intensity. Additionally, they can try wearing binoculars to correct their perception of distance.

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