This morning my home scale says I weigh 163.5 lbs.
Copied below is a shocking article from Discovery Science in its overtly misogynistic, sexist attitude. This same study could have been analyzed in a more balanced way; and yet it is healthier to be slim. It does take conscious effort to be slim, the food, drug, and medical industries as well as city planning often doesn't help. So while I don't like fear-mongering, I do advocate taking the higher path, resisting the urge to give in. Staying slim is worth wholesome effort. If my true love has a BMI of ~20.68 then I should weigh less than 121 in order to have a lower BMI than him; which is my goal anyway.
Thinner Wife Makes Happier Marriage.
Analysis by Benjamin Radford July 25, 2011.
Marriages are happier when wives are thinner than their husbands, according to a new study (first published January 10, 2011). Researchers at the University of Tennessee studied the BMI (body mass index, a common measure of obesity) of nearly 170 newlywed couples, along with marital satisfaction over time.
Andrea Meltzer, the lead author and a doctoral candidate at UT, told Discovery News that "We found this effect initially on husbands' satisfaction at the beginning of marriage... husbands were more satisfied at the time of marriage to the extent that their wives had a lower BMI than themselves."
The fact that men tend to be happier with a thinner wife may not be surprising, but Meltzer and her colleagues also found that women who had a lower BMI than their husbands were significantly more satisfied with their marriage over time. Thinner wives make both spouses happier.
"Wive are happier to the extent that their husbands are happy," Meltzer explained. "If we were looking at another quality that was more important to women than men -- say , economic resources -- we might see opposite effects. Women might be more satisfied to the extent that their partners are making more money than they are."
"This study is important because it demonstrates that women of any size can be happy in their relationship with the right partner. It's not necessarily striving for thinnes per se, but striving to be thinner than their partner," Meltzer said.
Thus overweight or obese women (which, statistically, is the majority of women in America) seeking a a happy marriage choose a heavier husband, or else choose an average-weight partner and lose enough weight that they are thinner by comparison.
Body size is only one of many factors that contribute to overall marriage satisfaction, though it does seem to be important to both men and women.
The preference for thinner partners goes both ways, of course. It's not just guys looking for a thin girlfriend or wife: Studies show that both men and women across the board express a strong preference for thinner partners. Another possible factor behind the findings (besides attractiveness) is that marital satisfaction is also correlated with partner health.
"Couples are more satisfied to the extent that their partner is healthy," Meltzer noted. Thinner women will, on average, be healthier than overweight or obese ones, thus improving the marriage for both partners. The study was published in the July issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Copied below is a shocking article from Discovery Science in its overtly misogynistic, sexist attitude. This same study could have been analyzed in a more balanced way; and yet it is healthier to be slim. It does take conscious effort to be slim, the food, drug, and medical industries as well as city planning often doesn't help. So while I don't like fear-mongering, I do advocate taking the higher path, resisting the urge to give in. Staying slim is worth wholesome effort. If my true love has a BMI of ~20.68 then I should weigh less than 121 in order to have a lower BMI than him; which is my goal anyway.
Thinner Wife Makes Happier Marriage.
Analysis by Benjamin Radford July 25, 2011.
Marriages are happier when wives are thinner than their husbands, according to a new study (first published January 10, 2011). Researchers at the University of Tennessee studied the BMI (body mass index, a common measure of obesity) of nearly 170 newlywed couples, along with marital satisfaction over time.
Andrea Meltzer, the lead author and a doctoral candidate at UT, told Discovery News that "We found this effect initially on husbands' satisfaction at the beginning of marriage... husbands were more satisfied at the time of marriage to the extent that their wives had a lower BMI than themselves."
The fact that men tend to be happier with a thinner wife may not be surprising, but Meltzer and her colleagues also found that women who had a lower BMI than their husbands were significantly more satisfied with their marriage over time. Thinner wives make both spouses happier.
"Wive are happier to the extent that their husbands are happy," Meltzer explained. "If we were looking at another quality that was more important to women than men -- say , economic resources -- we might see opposite effects. Women might be more satisfied to the extent that their partners are making more money than they are."
"This study is important because it demonstrates that women of any size can be happy in their relationship with the right partner. It's not necessarily striving for thinnes per se, but striving to be thinner than their partner," Meltzer said.
Thus overweight or obese women (which, statistically, is the majority of women in America) seeking a a happy marriage choose a heavier husband, or else choose an average-weight partner and lose enough weight that they are thinner by comparison.
Body size is only one of many factors that contribute to overall marriage satisfaction, though it does seem to be important to both men and women.
The preference for thinner partners goes both ways, of course. It's not just guys looking for a thin girlfriend or wife: Studies show that both men and women across the board express a strong preference for thinner partners. Another possible factor behind the findings (besides attractiveness) is that marital satisfaction is also correlated with partner health.
"Couples are more satisfied to the extent that their partner is healthy," Meltzer noted. Thinner women will, on average, be healthier than overweight or obese ones, thus improving the marriage for both partners. The study was published in the July issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science.
No comments:
Post a Comment