In Brief

Wedded Bliss Ruins Waistlines

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Wedded bliss comes with a downside — a bigger waistline. A new study of 169 newlywed couples in their 20s finds that those who were very satisfied with their marriage gained more weight over a four-year period compared with couples who were less satisfied.

The reason? Having already achieved the coveted goal of attracting a desirable mate, content married couples are less motivated to maintain a healthy weight, said the researchers from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

One might wonder if this is a smaller problem than it used to be, given that fewer couples get married these days.

But despite the extra pounds, being married confers health benefits in other ways — satisfied married couples are more likely to go to the doctor and take medications on time.

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Rachael Rettner
Rachael Rettner
Contributor

Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.