Many people believe that weight-loss will make them happier. But is this true? Let’s examine the scientific evidence.

A meta-analysis of 34 randomized and controlled weight-loss experiments revealed no benefit of weight loss for depressive symptoms or general well-being. [source]



And when studies do observe that weight loss interventions improve depressive symptoms, such improvements are independent of actual weight loss. In other words, some other aspect of the interventions – like social support, or exercise, or increased fruit and vegetable consumption – is actually responsible for the observed benefits to mood, not weight loss itself. [source]



Most concerning of all, weight loss may even cause depression in the longer term. In one recent large-scale prospective study, healthy fat people who lost more that 5% of their body weight during a four year period experienced a nearly three-fold increase in depressive symptoms. [source]



So will weight loss make you happier? Not at all. In fact, it may just make you miserable.