The word " picnic " refers to a type of human body that is short, rather fat, and prone to obesity. Its use is common in the world of nutrition, but it is also applied in psychology, psychiatry or kinesiology, among other medical specialties.
The Royal Spanish Academy defines "picnic" as an adjective that means someone has a plump body and is prone to obesity. It can be used in both its masculine ("picnic") and feminine ("picnic") formats. In addition, others point out that these people are generally of stature or short stature.
Picnic people. Source Pixabay.com
Meaning and origin
The first to speak of a "picnic" body was Ernst Kretschmer (1888-1964), a German psychiatrist and neurologist who tried to link the biotype and psychotype of people. In other words, his research work was based on verifying that there are relationships between a person's body type and their temperament.
Thus it was that in the 1920s he began to study the body of mentally ill patients who suffered from different pathologies, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, among others. After the investigation it concluded that there are three types of basic body constitutions, one of them being the "picnic".
For the German neurologist, "picnics" are short, sturdy, and round-bodied. Their viscera are thick and greasy and they can be bald and underdeveloped.
His physical condition has significant horizontal sections, the face is broad and soft, the neck is short and solid, the belly is bulging and the shoulders are slightly drooping forward.
On the other hand, the face of a "picnic" person is prone to redness and fat tends to concentrate especially under the chin.
The organic texture of these subjects is related to a peculiar endocrine formula, with hypophysogonadal hyperfunction (hence their short stature) and the adrenal glands with low thyroid tone.
Regarding temperament, he emphasized that they are intelligent people, with a good character, cheerful and jovial. On the other hand, he pointed out that they could go from a happy state to a sad one very quickly, as well as from an optimistic vision to a pessimistic one in a short time, which is why they are prone to bipolar disorders.
In other words, they are related to cyclothymic temperament and predisposition to manic-depressive psychosis and resistance to schizophrenia and epilepsy.
In these people, cardiovascular diseases (arteriosclerosis, arterial hypertension, angina pectoris, varicose veins, etc.), nutrition (diabetes, gout, gallstones or kidney stones), rheumatic (chronic-degenerative type), respiratory (chronic bronchitis) are frequent, emphysema, bronchial asthma, etc.), as well as liver cirrhosis, nephrosclerosis, pancreatitis and malignant tumors.
The other two states named by Kretschmer are the athletic and the leptosomal, while the psychoanalyst William Sheldon (1898-1977) highlights the endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph.
The studies of the German neurologist on morphopsychological typology are now taken into account by health professionals, whether they are nutritionists, psychologists, etc.
Synonyms
Some words that mean the same thing as "picnic" are "chubby," "plump," "fat," "obese," "thick," "plump," "chubby," "chubby," "plump," "chubby.", "Square," "puffy," or "squat."
Antonyms
Some words that mean the opposite of "picnic" are "skinny," "slim," "lean," "stick," "thin," "emaciated," "fragile," "lazy," "wasted," "lean.", "Dry," "small," "gaunt," "frowning," "wasted," "haggard," "sallow," "dashing," or "graceful."
Usage examples
- "The round humanity of my picnic friend appeared and threw himself into the pool with a bomb causing a great disaster."
- «According to the nutritionist, my body is of a picnic type».
- "A picnic person will have to constantly follow a special diet to maintain weight."
References
- Pyknic. (2019). Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy. Recovered from: dle.rae.es
- Lic. Juan Armando Cobin. «The 7 types of bodies». Recovered from: psicologiaymente.com
- Pyknic. Recovered from: psiquiatria.com
- Jarmo Ahonen. (2001). "Kinesiology and anatomy applied to physical activity". Recovered from: books.google.al
- Antonio Surós Batló. (2001). "Medical semiology and exploratory technique". Recovered from: books.google.al