When you see your ex has gained weight and looks out of shape while with his new love don’t be too quick to gloat that they are still pining after you.
According to several studies, people who gain weight are happy and contented in their relationships.
Research carried out by the University of North Carolina followed the weight statistics of more than 8,000 participants and concluded that a woman can gain on average 24 pounds during the first 5 to 6 years of her marriage. Women who lived with their partners but were not married gained an average of 22 pounds while women who were dating but not living with their partner gained only 13 pounds.
The study also revealed that men gained weight during the transition from being single to being in a relationship and also showed that men who lived with their partner for more than 2 years were twice as likely to gain more than 25 pounds than men who did not live with them.
A further study carried out by the Research on the National Center for Biotechnology has discovered being happy in love makes you gain weight.
Over the period of four years, researchers followed 169 couples. They were weighed twice a year and provided details about the overall satisfaction regarding their married life.
The study concluded that the couples who reported happy marriages gained weight, while those in unhappy marriages stayed slim but ultimately parted.
The study surmised that those in a stable, happy relationship have already found their mate and therefore don’t need to impress them anymore. The couples who were unhappy were more likely to remain attractive and slim so that they don’t lose the potential to seek a new mate.
Another study conducted by the University of Queensland came to the same conclusions.
Over a ten year period, 15,000 people were tracked. Researchers found that on average people in a relationship were 12.7 pounds heavier than their single peers. Participants who had partners also gained on average 3.9 pounds per year.
The data conclude that those in satisfying relationships have a tendency to let themselves go as the pressure of finding a mate is behind them.
Stephanie Schoeppe, the lead researcher on the Australian study, says it comes down to mindset.
“When couples don’t need to look attractive and slim to attract a partner they may feel more comfortable in eating more, or eating more foods high in fat and sugar, ” she stated.
Working out at the gym for example can be replaced by icecream sessions watching TV.
So don’t feel vindicated if your ex has piled on the pounds and resorted to wearing tracksuit pants. It could mean they are happy and have found a partner that satisfies them along with the extra calories they are consuming.