Friends Help You Recognize that it's Okay to Be Fat

[bcholmes]

It's not that people who are overweight or obese seek each other out, but rather that friends are growing fatter together.

"What appears to be happening is that a person becoming obese most likely causes a change of norms about what counts as an appropriate body size. People come to think that it is okay to be bigger, since those around them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads," Dr. Christakis said.

— "Are your friends making you fat?", The Globe and Mail