Study: Marriages Are Happier When Women Weigh Less Than Husband

Blisstree Editors

THappily ever after may not based on companionship, sexual compatibility or even shared values like we once thought. According to a new study, it could be tied to weight-specifically, a low:high ratio of a woman's to her husband's. Yes ladies, once again, it's all about how our bodies can please our man.

What If Your Man Asked You to Lose Weight?

After following 169 married couples for four years, researchers from the University of Tennessee discovered that men who had a higher Body Mass Index (BMI, which is calculated from height and weight), were happier at the start of their marriage and stayed that way. Surprisingly enough, women also felt the same way and reported being significantly happier if their BMI was lower than their husband's.

Lead author Andrea Meltzer acknowledges that, of course, women of any size can be happy in a relationships with the right partner and she also points out that it's the relative weight (BMI) that matters, not just what the scale says-something that she thinks is ultimately more important to men at the beginning of a relationship when they find their thinner partner more desirable:

One idea is that attractiveness and weight are more important to men. That might be why we see this emerging at the beginning of the marriage for husbands, and their dissatisfaction might be affecting wives' satisfaction over time.

The study also suggests that women whose BMI is lower are happier because they feel more confident and loved by their spouse, and apparently, women think their partner's BMI is not nearly as important. Really? Is that the secret to a happy marriage, simply being smaller than your man? Oh, that just reeks of social gender bias, once again. Like, the way guys look is not important to us? Nope, just as long as he's bigger than we are, according to this.

An Affair May Be the Best Thing That Happens to Your Marriage

How about we all agree that both partners need to take care of themselves and maintain healthy bodies? That, and putting down the toilet seat will surely lead to a happy marriage.

Is your BMI lower than your partner's? To find out, click here for a simple BMI calculator.

Photo: Thinkstock

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