Body Investment Scale (BIS) Test

With 24 statements completed in about 5 minutes, the Body Investment Scale (BIS) Test explores how you relate to your body, physical care, appearance, touch, safety, and risk. Your profile can highlight patterns of body acceptance and protection, supporting focused self-reflection about everyday habits, comfort, and well-being.

Questions: 245 minutes

Body Investment Scale (BIS) Test: sample question card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Boundary ControlBC

Measures the tendency to maintain interpersonal distance and protect personal boundaries versus seeking closer, informal interaction.

example score12/15

12/15Boundary-Focusedexample score

3 – 7Close/Informal

8 – 11Balanced

12 – 15Boundary-Focused

A score of 12 falls in the Boundary-Focused range, suggesting a stronger preference for social autonomy and clear personal boundaries in communication.

Tactile ComfortTC

Measures comfort with physical touch and the degree of need for closeness, warmth, and supportive contact.

example score10/20

10/20Moderate comfortexample score

4 – 9Low comfort

10 – 14Moderate comfort

15 – 20High need for touch

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate comfort range, suggesting generally mixed feelings about physical contact with a situational need for closeness and support.

Risk-Taking TendencyRTT

Measures how inclined a person is to engage in and enjoy risk-taking behavior.

example score4/10

4/10Low risk-takingexample score

2 – 4Low risk-taking

5 – 7Moderate risk-taking

8 – 10High risk-taking

A score of 4 falls in the Low risk-taking range, suggesting a preference for caution and possible discomfort when situations feel risky.

Body HostilityBH

Measures the degree of dissatisfaction, resentment, or aggression directed toward one’s own body and appearance.

example score15/20

15/20High hostilityexample score

4 – 9Low hostility

10 – 14Moderate hostility

15 – 20High hostility

A score of 15 falls in the High hostility range, suggesting pronounced dissatisfaction with the body and a more adversarial, self-directed stance toward one’s physical self.

Self-AcceptanceSA

Measures how unconditionally a person accepts their body, appearance, and physical abilities as part of their sense of self.

example score12/15

12/15Highexample score

3 – 7Low

8 – 11Moderate

12 – 15High

A score of 12 falls in the High range, suggesting a generally strong, accepting relationship with one’s body and appearance.

Body CareBC

Measures how much a person attends to and enjoys caring for their body and appearance beyond basic hygiene.

example score19/25

19/25High body careexample score

5 – 12Low body care

13 – 18Moderate body care

19 – 25High body care

A score of 19 falls in the High body care range, suggesting a strong tendency to look after appearance and engage in self-care activities.

Body ProtectionBP

Measures how consistently a person takes precautions to protect their physical safety and bodily condition when facing potential threats.

example score7/15

7/15Low protectionexample score

3 – 7Low protection

8 – 11Moderate protection

12 – 15High protection

A score of 7 falls in the Low protection range, suggesting fewer or less consistent physical safety precautions in potentially risky situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Stress, anxiety, or low mood

41%OF USERS

People feeling anxious, depressed, or emotionally numb take it to understand how connected and caring they feel toward their body.

Recovery and self-harm concerns

34%OF USERS

People worried about self-harm urges or past risky behaviors use it to spot warning signs and gaps in self-protection.

Therapy and progress tracking

25%OF USERS

Clients in counseling or trauma work take it to track changes in self-acceptance, body care, and emotional integration over time.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Distance ControlDC

You?

Average9.5

Typical rangeTypical7.3 – 11.8

Possible3 – 15

Tactile ComfortTC

You?

Average15.3

Typical rangeTypical12.4 – 18.2

Possible4 – 20

Risk TendencyRT

You?

Average5.3

Typical rangeTypical3.9 – 6.8

Possible2 – 10

Hostility Toward the BodyHTtB

You?

Average8.2

Typical rangeTypical5.5 – 10.9

Possible4 – 20

Self-AcceptanceS

You?

Average9.4

Typical rangeTypical7.8 – 11

Possible3 – 15

Body CareBC

You?

Average13.1

Typical rangeTypical10.3 – 15.9

Possible5 – 25

Body ProtectionBP

You?

Average10.7

Typical rangeTypical8.8 – 12.5

Possible3 – 15

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

The statements below refer to your experiences, feelings, and attitudes toward your body. There are no right or wrong answers; what matters is what you feel. Please read each statement carefully and indicate the extent to which you agree with each one.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 24 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Body Investment Scale (BIS) Test - Description and methodology of the test

body image

For people who notice recurring tensions in their relationship with their bodies, the Body Investment Scale (BIS) Test offers a structured profile of how bodily experiences are organized. The resulting body investment profile can show whether different areas tend to cluster around acceptance, protection, distance, or conflict, giving self-reflection a clearer focus.

What This Assessment Explores

Seven body investment dimensions organize touch, space, risk, care, appearance, safety, and self-injury:

Boundary Control (3-15) measures distance: Close/Informal 3-7; Balanced 8-11; Boundary-Focused 12-15.
Tactile Comfort (4-20) measures touch deficit and closeness: Low comfort 4-9; Moderate comfort 10-14; High need for touch 15-20.
Risk-Taking Tendency (2-10) measures risk enjoyment or reluctance: Low risk-taking 2-4; Moderate risk-taking 5-7; High risk-taking 8-10.
Body Hostility (4-20) measures body dissatisfaction and aggression: Low hostility 4-9; Moderate hostility 10-14; High hostility 15-20.
Self-Acceptance (3-15) measures body acceptance and congruence: Low 3-7; Moderate 8-11; High 12-15.
Body Care (5-25) measures self-care: Low body care 5-12; Moderate body care 13-18; High body care 19-25.
Body Protection (3-15) measures safety precautions: Low protection 3-7; Moderate protection 8-11; High protection 12-15.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Each statement uses five-point agreement options from Strongly disagree to a highest-agreement label, with a neutral midpoint; most use Strongly agree, one uses Completely agree. Results report each scale and band, but item contributions, aggregation, and reverse-scoring rules are unspecified.

The published BIS, a body investment measure developed by Orbach and Mikulincer, addresses emotional investment in the body and experiences relevant to self-destructive behavior. This questionnaire is conceptually consistent with that work, but its online presentation may not reproduce the original instrument exactly.

An adolescent study by Osman and colleagues found moderate support for a related four-factor structure. Marco and colleagues later evaluated BIS in participants with eating disorders and nonsuicidal self-injury. Those studies contextualize bodily feelings, touch, care, and protection but do not establish population norms for this online form; its bands are descriptive categories.

Read the profile across dimensions rather than as one overall verdict. Self-report scores can shift with current mood, recent experiences, self-awareness, and willingness to disclose, so use the result to identify patterns for reflection and discussion, not to infer a diagnosis.

Author: Thomas F. Cash

Literature:

Orbach, I., & Mikulincer, M. (1998). The Body Investment Scale: Construction and Validation of a Body Experience Scale. Psychological Assessment, 10(4), 415-425. 10.1037/1040-3590.10.4.415
Marco, J. H., Cañabate, M., García-Alandete, J., Llorca, G., Real-López, M., Beltrán, M., & Pérez, S. (2018). Body image and nonsuicidal self-injury: Validation of the Body Investment Scale in participants with eating disorders. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 25(1), 173-180. 10.1002/cpp.2142
Osman, A., Gutierrez, P. M., Schweers, R., Fang, Q., Holguin-Mills, R. L., & Cashin, M. (2010). Psychometric evaluation of the body investment scale for use with adolescents. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66(3), 259-276. 10.1002/jclp.20649

Updated: 2025-10-02