If your jeans have gotten tighter since you tied the knot, your happy marriage could be to blame.
According to recent research by Andrea Meltzer of Southern Methodist University, the happier your marriage, the more likely it is that you will gain weight, HealthDay reported Tuesday.
Meltzer followed 169 newlywed couples for four years, collecting information on their marital satisfaction and weight. The results showed that marital happiness is positively associated with weight gain. Spouses -- both male and female -- who were more satisfied with their relationships tended to gain more weight, while spouses who were less satisfied tended to weigh less.
So what's to blame for the additional pounds? Meltzer told HealthDay that happy couples may feel like their search for a mate is over, causing them to stop engaging in weight-maintaining behaviors. On the other hand, unhappy couples may be considering a divorce and are preparing to attract a new partner.
A September 2012 survey echoed Meltzer's findings -- 46 percent of women surveyed gained weight as a result of a happy relationship, while 27 percent of women lost weight as a result of a breakup.
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