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The idea that happy couples gain weight when they love each other sounds slightly far-fetched, but surprisingly, there is evidence that supports this statement. According to several studies, couples who reported being happy and satisfied in their relationships/marriages were more likely to gain weight.

Here at Bright Side, we followed the studies that had been carried out and learned what was examined and what the result of the research was.

Married couples gaining weight

Research done by the University of North Carolina followed the weight measurements of more than 8,000 people and it was concluded that a married woman can gain, on average, 24 pounds during the first 5 to 6 years of her marriage. In addition, women who lived with their partners but weren’t married gained 22 pounds while women who were dating but weren’t living with their partner gained only 13 pounds.

The study also showed that men gained weight during the transition from being single to being in a relationship, and it showed that men who cohabited with their other half for more than 2 years were twice as likely to gain more than 25 pounds than men who did not live with their partner.

The study reached a conclusion that there is a strong association between romantic relationships and the number of obesity-related results. However, even though weight gain is evident in long-term romantic relationships, there was a significant decrease in smoking and alcohol abuse which shows a willingness of couples to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

Newly wedded couples

More research was done by the National Institute of Health to examine whether weight gain in newly wedded couples was a positive or negative reflection of their happiness. The study followed couples who had been married for more than 4 years and it examined their emotional health and levels of stress. It was found that couples who had recently been happily married were twice more likely to put on weight whereas couples who reported being not as happy with their spouses were less likely to gain weight.

The study reached the conclusion that happy couples gain more weight because they don’t have the need to attract another partner and they feel happier the way they are. Whereas couples who feel unhappy in their relationships are unable to gain more weight due to stress. However, it is recommended for happily married couples who gained weight to think of their BMI because of health issues rather than their appearance.

Weight gain is contagious

A study done by the New England Journal of Medicine showed that weight gain is also contagious in married couples. If one partner is gaining weight, the other partner has a 37% chance of gaining more weight as well. This is because they adapt to each other’s habits since they spend so much time together. Whereas couples that might be unhappy in their relationships avoid spending time together so it becomes more difficult to adapt to each other’s eating habits.

People holding the study analyzed the social environment, habits and mutual activities of the couples and reached the conclusion that mutual weight gain derives from both individuals psychologically influencing each other with their eating habits.

It is important to keep in mind that even though these are studies done by health professionals, they only show a number of instances in the world and not the whole world in question, so it does not apply to everyone. There are always exceptions and it doesn’t mean that when you don’t gain weight when you are married that you are not happy with your partner. These studies were mainly done in order to understand the living situations of couples and to help fight obesity.

It is vital to influence each other in positive ways with healthy eating habits and lifestyles regardless of weight in order to enjoy each other’s company for the rest of your lives.

What do you think about the results of these studies? Do you believe you can gain more weight when you are happily married? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Please note: This article was updated in May 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.

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