Marital Bliss makes you fat

The happier you are in your marriage, the more weight you're likely to gain, scientists claim.

Research monitoring 160 couples over four years, found that the higher the relationship satisfaction, the more likely couples were to pile on the weight.

The researchers from Southern Methodist University in Dallas speculated that happier couples are probably less likely to worry about their figures and feel they don't need to look for love elsewhere, according to a report from The Telegraph.

During the four years, the study monitored weight, taking height into account, as well as at what level of satisfaction each couple felt their relationship was on every six months.

Results showed that the higher their relationship satisfaction, men and women gained one tenth of a BMI unit every six months on average, or the equivalent of just under half a kilo a year for a woman who is 1.64m tall and starts off weighing 54kgs.

The researchers suggested that this may be because happily-married couples feel that since they've reeled their spouse in and found love and they don’t need to look for another fish in the sea like they did when they were single.

In contrast, researchers found that weight loss was linked to reduced marital happiness.

"These findings suggest people perhaps are thinking about their weight in terms of appearance rather than health," Dr Andrea Meltzer, of the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, observed.

Meltzer suggested that couples are better off avoiding weight gain by focusing on health rather than appearance as a motivating factor.

The study was published in the Health Psychology journal.