Gallup Poll on Obesity Finds It Linked to Lower Social Well Being

Gallup conducted a recent poll of US adults to determine their "well being."  As part of the study, "well being" is based on respondents' answers to items about the strength of their relationship with their spouse, partner, or closest friend; positive energy gained from family and friends; making time for trips or vacations with family and friends; and having someone who encourages them to be healthy. Gallup then categorized respondents as "thriving" (well-being that is strong, consistent, and progressing), "struggling" (well-being that is moderate or inconsistent), or "suffering" (well-being that is low and at high risk) in their social well-being.

The findings were interesting, especially as they related to BMI:

Those considered as normal weight had the best social well being scores, whereas those being obese performed poorly.  It is interesting to note that those considered underweight also scored poorly.

Since obesity is tied to well being, it isn't a far stretch that there's correlation to diet and exercise as well:

In fact, I'd propose that if you removed those defined as underweight from the schedule above, the impact of diet and exercise would be even more marked.

So there appears to be a link between obesity and well being.  The really big question is which causes which?