Is Your Happy Relationship Making You Fat?

It's well known that many people gain weight when they enter a long-term relationship – after all, when there's someone to share your Saturday night takeaway with, it suddenly doesn't seem so wrong.

However, we've never thought it was a particularly good sign, until now.

A study from the US National Center for Biotechnology Information has found that couples who gain weight together are actually happier, in general, than those who don't.   The researchers tracked 169 newly married couples for a period of four years, measuring the couples' weights and tracking their satisfaction with the marriage, as well as their general happiness.

​Surprisingly, it was those who reported being in happy marriages who also gained weight, while the people who remained slim were more likely to split.

The team suggested that this could be because people in happy relationships feel more relaxed, and therefore let go of the pressure to find another mate, easing up on strict diets.   But the researchers are quick to point out that we shouldn't all be aiming to gain weight together – on the contrary, they recommend refocusing your weight-related efforts, as a couple, in order to preserve your long-term health.

​As being overweight or obese is associated with many serious health conditions, if you really want to be happy and healthy together, staying a healthy weight is best. Nothing says 'I love you' like a salad, eh?​

​Via