You Are Why You're Fat

According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, you might want to look in the mirror the next time you blame an innocent Double Down for that extra chin you just can't seem to lose.

The study, which was published last week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found what basically everyone already knows: People with impulsive personalities tend to be considerably heftier than their more conscientious counterparts.

Those who scored in the top 10 percent on impulsivity clocked in at 22 pounds more, on average, than than those in the bottom 10 percent; unsurprisingly, researchers also identified antagonism and risk taking as associated predictors of weight gain. Which really, when it comes down to it, is common sense, and also sort of explains why Wall Street is apparently a hotbed of competitive eating.

But there is hope to be found, and, paradoxically, it lies in pessimism. According to a recent Japanese study, optimists had a more difficult time losing weight than those who prefer to dwell on life's darker side, MSN reports. Those with a positive outlook, it seems, were less inclined to worry about their weight and more apt to succumb to temptation. But on the bright side, at least if you're fat, researchers in Japan say you're statistically more likely to be happy about it.

[Via The Atlantic Wire]