AXA Health launches new campaign – Own Your Fears

Low self esteem and body confidence fuel love life fears

New research by AXA Health reveals that fears borne of low self-esteem and body confidence are causing love lives to suffer and stopping the UK’s working population from being more active.

9 February 2018

Posted in Product

Nearly half (45%) of working Brits admit that their fears have adversely affected their love lives, with nearly a third of them (32%) saying they’re troubled by fear of rejection¹
A third (33%) say their fears are frustrating their sex lives, with a third of them (33%) fearful of being seen naked
And nearly half (46%) of working Brits fear keeping fit with others because of low self-esteem, body image issues and embarrassment²
To help to remedy this, AXA Health has launched a new campaign – Own Your Fears – to encourage people to harness their fears into a motivating force for a happier, healthier future

New research by AXA Health reveals that fears borne of low self-esteem and body confidence are causing love lives to suffer and stopping the UK’s working population from being more active. To help people harness their fears into a motivating force to live the life they want to lead, AXA Health has launched a new campaign – Own Your Fears. Encouragingly, nearly three-quarters (73%) of the working people the healthcare company surveyed¹ believe it’s possible for fear to be used in a positive way.

Nearly half (45%) of the working Brits AXA Health polled say their fears have adversely affected their love lives. Of these, nearly a third (32%) say they don’t approach people for fear of being rejected – men (52%) more so than women (48%). 15% say their fears stop them committing to relationships – men (57%) more so than women (43%). 1 in 6 (17%) say their fears have even led to their losing the love of their life. On the other hand, nearly a third (31%) admit their fears have led to their staying in an unhealthy or toxic relationship.

A third (33%) of working Brits say that their fears are affecting their sex lives too. Of these, a third (33%) are fearful of being seen naked – women (70%) more so than men (30%). Notably, 1 in 5 (20%) millennials aged 18-34 rank ‘being seen naked’ a top fear – more so than older age groups, indicating such reticence dwindles with age. Comparing ourselves with others is another source of bedroom fear – 19% of those whose sex lives are affected by fear compare themselves with their partner’s exes while 13% do it with celebrities. Over a third (36%) admit their fears leave them feeling too anxious and stressed for sex.

When it comes to working out with others, nearly half (46%) of working Brits say low self-esteem, body image issues and embarrassment leave them fearful to join in. And 1 in 10 (11%) say they’re afraid of being seen wearing gym gear.

“Our fears stem from feeling threatened and wanting to protect ourselves from that threat is normal. All of us have fears, whether it’s fear of failure, fear of being laughed at in ill-fitting sweaty gym clothes or fear of not achieving our aims or being the person we thought we’d be. But, if we can turn these negative thoughts that create our fears into motivation, they don’t have to hold us back. For example, fearing rejection and believing we’re not good enough can stop us from enjoying nurturing, loving relationships or from ending relationships that have turned sour. Similarly, avoiding committing to loving someone can mean that we miss out on the plusses of a mutually-rewarding, long term relationship.

“Finding time to be active around the working day and our commitments to family and friends can be challenging enough, without low self esteem and embarrassment about our looks or fitness adding another barrier. Instead, I’m urging people to harness these sometimes irrational fears and use them as a driving force to make positive choices for a happier, healthier life.”

Dr Mark Winwood, Director of Psychological Health Services, AXA Health

To find out how you can own your fears watch Dr Winwood’s video:

¹ Research of 2005 working people undertaken December 2017 by Vitreous World for AXA Health

² Research of 1000 working people undertaken August 2017 by 3Gem for AXA Health

Media contacts

Legal notes

About AXA UK

AXA Insurance UK plc registered in England and Wales under registered number 078950 and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority under Financial Conduct Authority registration number 202312. Registered office is 20 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0BG.

AXA UK is part of the AXA Group, a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 147,000 employees serving 94 million clients in 50 countries. In 2023, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 102.7 billion and underlying earnings to Euro 7.6 billion. AXA had Euro 844 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023.

In the UK & Ireland, AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Insurance, AXA Health and AXA Ireland. AXA UK & Ireland employs around 10,000 staff.

Important legal information and cautionary statements concering forward-looking statements

Certain statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans, expectations or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause AXA’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward looking statements. Please refer to Part 5: “Risk Factors and Risk Management” of AXA’s Universal Registration Document 2022, for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect AXA’s business and / or results of operations. AXA undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws and regulations.