The New York Daily News covered the research of SMU psychologist Andrea L. Meltzer, who found that young couples who are satisfied with their marriage are more likely to gain weight, putting them at risk for various health problems associated with being overweight.
The article, “Does marriage make you fat? Happy newlyweds more likely to gain weight in first years of marriage,” was published April 5.
Meltzer, lead researcher on the study, is an assistant professor in the SMU Department of Psychology.
The study’s researchers said the findings challenge the long-held notion that quality relationships are always beneficial to one’s health. Instead, they said, the findings suggest that spouses who are satisfied in the marriage are less motivated to attract an alternative mate. As a result, satisfied spouses relax efforts to maintain their weight.
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Related links
- Andrea L. Meltzer
- SMU Department of Psychology
- Health Psychology: “Marital satisfaction predicts weight gain in early marriage”
- Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences
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The article, “Marital satisfaction predicts weight gain in early marriage,” is published online in the scientific journal Health Psychology at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23477578.
The study was based on data from 169 first-married newlywed couples whose marital satisfaction and weight were tracked over the course of four years.
EXCERPT:
New York Daily News
Newly married couples who remained happy after they tied the knot were more likely to pack on pounds early in their marriage than couples who were less satisfied, a Southern Methodist University study found.Happy, young newlyweds are more likely to put on weight in the early years after they exchange vows, a new study finds.
Researchers from Southern Methodist University tracked 169 first-time newlywed couples, keeping tabs on their marital satisfaction and weight over the course of four years. Newlyweds checked in with the researchers twice a year, answering questions on their satisfaction with their marriage and taking measurements on their weight, height, and body-mass index.
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