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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The attractiveness of one’s partner may play a role in their decision to improve their body image, particularly when it comes to women, a new study finds.

Researchers at Florida State University examined 113 newlywed, 20-something couples in Texas to try to evaluate the importance that attractiveness plays in a relationship.

Woman looking at mirror
A new study finds that women who felt their husbands were more attractive than them are more likely to fixate on their body image.

With previous studies having shown that a marriage is more likely to be successful when the wife is more attractive than her husband, the phenomenon of a more-attractive husband particularly piqued the researchers’ interest.

The experiment conducted by the researchers had multiple components.

First, participants were instructed to take a questionnaire examining one’s desire to diet or have a lean figure. Then, a diverse group of researchers evaluated the desirability of each partner in a couple, basing their evaluations on the individual’s facial and body attractiveness.

Based on their findings, their hypothesis — that less-attractive wives felt compelled to appease more-attractive husbands — seemed to have merit.

Women, for example, were found to be more likely to diet and seek a slim figure when they had attractive husbands.

Men, on the other hand, did not diet based on their partner’s attractiveness — or lack thereof.

“The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive,” says researcher Tania Reynolds in a university news release.

These findings are critical in that they offer insight into the causes of more grave conditions caused by a desire to become or stay svelte, such as eating disorders.

“The research suggests there might be social factors playing a role in women’s disordered eating,” Reynolds adds.

Future research could look into whether also being exposed to less-judgmental female companions would help reverse much of the self-inflicted stigma that burdens many women.

The study’s findings are published in the September 2017 edition of the journal Body Image.

About Daniel Steingold

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131 Comments

  1. Leone says:

    Sorry, but none of the women I’ve known with eating disorders, like anorexia, were married or even dating…They seem to have such low self-esteem that they effectively turn off any would be suitors.

    As to women that eat too much…It seems to cut both ways…Many men appreciate a plump and voluptuous woman…And they seem to have no trouble attracting handsome guys as long as they feel good about themselves.

    As to morbidly obese women…You could argue it’s health concerns and not attraction issues that really motivate them to want to slim down…Regardless of how good looking their man is they have real medical issues to contend with, as I’m sure their doctors have told them.

    Seems like pretty shallow research to me.

  2. Bill Obamabush says:

    Even if true the study is irrelevant because it’s not as if women are going to start dating less attractive men for the health benefits. Women are even more prone to being blinded by emotion and hormones than men are, They will convince themselves that Mr Tall Dark and Handsome is not as big a meathead douche-bag as he seems. The phenomenon of women getting wet over “bad boys” is proof enough that logic and reason are not a big part of their mating thought process.

    1. J Smith says:

      Pairing is transactional. For partnering women are attracted to men’s earning power, status, dominance and to a lesser degree attractiveness (ie health). That is well documented
      Men are attracted to physical attractiveness in women to a much higher degree than other factors.
      See:
      1) all of human history
      2) every serious study

      1. Bernard Marx says:

        Bingo….

        😉

  3. Roger Abbit says:

    i dont diet. i am fat and alone :'(

    1. Rising says:

      Lol

      1. Roger Abbit says:

        and drunk at the time.

  4. M A Merkel says:

    What Daniel Steingelding fails to recognize is that it is the swordsman, not the sword. Seeking some adornment to make himself look better is a sure sign of inferiority. I am not sure a gelding will get any kind of woman, Danny, uh….

  5. Rising says:

    Stupid.
    Fat, unhealthy women get inspired to improve their health and physique….and this is a Bad thing?!?!?
    Get off it. Healthy is beautiful. Fat and slovenly is Not. If women are improving themselves, then that is a net positive for the world.

  6. M A Merkel says:

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife

    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife
    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    A pretty woman makes her husband look small
    And very often causes his downfall
    As soon as he marries her, then she starts
    To do the things that will break his heart
    But if you make an ugly woman your wife
    You’ll be happy for the rest of your life
    An ugly woman cooks her meals on time
    She’ll always give you peace of mind

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife
    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    Don’t let your friends say
    You have no taste
    Go ahead and marry anyway
    Though her face is ugly
    Her eyes don’t match
    Take it from me she’s a better catch

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife
    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    Say man
    Hey baby
    I saw your wife the other day
    Yeah?
    Yeah, she’s ugly
    Man, she’s ugly but she sure can cook, baby
    Yeah? Alright…

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife
    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife
    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife
    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    If you wanna be happy
    For the rest of your life
    Never make a pretty woman your wife
    So from my personal point of view
    Get an ugly girl to marry you

    1. Rising says:

      Love that song.

    2. tdrag says:

      THAT is a Golden Oldie and has an element of truth behind it.

      1. J Smith says:

        actually the data show otherwise. A man marrying an ugly women is of no benefit to the man. A woman marrying an ugly man seems to have reduce worry about self image

      2. ChargerBinks says:

        Who cares how the woman feels regardless of her appearance? It’s not about them. It’s all about the men!

      3. Inconsequential says:

        Hear! Hear!

    3. Bernard Marx says:

      Jimmy Soul!

      Mam – mar – ries ….un , I mean Mem -or -ries…..

      😉

    4. Ram6 says:

      Great song from the 60s. Not sure how true it is, but loved it just the same.

  7. 1angrywhite says:

    If my wife is unattractive-she will come to terms with her deficit in the relationship and let me walk all over her. Got it!

    1. localnet says:

      LOL! Fist thing that came to my mind when I read the headline.

    2. NowHardToStarboardSheerAway says:

      On the other hand if your woman is fat and ugly and does nothing about it, it is because she deems you fatter and uglier than she.

      1. Jay Patriot says:

        Lol. Yep, that’s what they’re saying.
        “Honey, you haven’t been to the gym in a long time.”
        Wife replies (with a mouth full of chocolate cake while looking at the TV), “shut up and give me the remote.”

  8. Grumpy Cat says:

    Why are we repeatedly subjected to the photo of the abs of some guy with no discernible d*ćk after every two comments?

    1. Digital Twin says:

      Ads are personalized, what kind of sites do you go to? Lol.

      1. Earl Hoffman says:

        Not sure how personalized they are. I never visit click-bait sites re: “what three foods doctors consider ‘death foods'” nor anything like that. And I believe his complaint is that for “personalized” ads, their clearly inaccurate algorithm could at least pick more than one to display repeatedly.

  9. Grintsum says:

    I hope the American taxpayer isn’t funding this alleged “research.” I could spend less than ten minutes thinking about this topic and come up with the same conclusions.

  10. bourgeoist says:

    Show me a fat slob couch potato and I’ll show you …… a female fat slob couch potato.

    that was easy.

    1. Grintsum says:

      You probably could have gotten a research grant from the feds to study your thesis.

    2. J Smith says:

      I suggest you work on your reading comprehension. attractive partner does not affect men’s behavior, while it does affect women’s behavior.
      Women are also more likely to have breast augmentation when the male is more attractive.

      1. ChargerBinks says:

        As they should

    3. oohcoohc says:

      You shouldn’t talk about your mom, sister, and wife like that. Troll. lmao

      1. John Turner says:

        Everyone who hurts my fee fee’s is a troll that looks like hitler, maybe stop being a weak little biitch and grow up.

      2. oohcoohc says:

        John, You seem to be the weak little bitch. Feel better. lmao sticks and stones asshole. CTFU

      3. oohcoohc says:

        Stop being a weak small penis man maybe you’d get laid more. LMAO

  11. Sedition Is Freedom says:

    This is news? They paid money to study the obvious ?

  12. Bruce Kramer says:

    Hey…I’m a physician…I just don’t understand how these researchers get funding making these inane findings…
    Here’s a theory…men with sm genitalia get few dates…and I received no grants yet to prove my theory…
    Any avg looking females waning to contribute…

    1. M A Merkel says:

      Are you saying that researchers have small or no balls? We can agree that they are dicks.

    2. JackBootedThug says:

      You’ll never find volunteers for your study for the simple reason that men with small peckers won’t admit to it.

    3. J2 says:

      More accurately, no second dates.

  13. Heavy D. says:

    …Or maybe, when she keeps the weight off, she doesn’t develop heart disease or diabetes which have a much higher incidence and mortality rate than “eating disorders”? Sounds like this study was rigged to produce the “Eating disorder so men are bad” outcome. LOL!

    1. Inconsequential says:

      And it’s not because she’s an insecure nutjob, it’s because men.

    2. oohcoohc says:

      Condescending troll. I’ll bet you’re a true gem. Men know they suck and just want to blame women for their woes. Thanks for the laughs.

      1. alex knight says:

        Uh… Don’t try to say that all men think they suck. Your personal experiences may lead you to believe that you are a piece of 5h17, but that just means that men think you suck. You’re probably married to a cow and think you deserve it, lol.

      2. oohcoohc says:

        Alex, You poor asshole. How are is your love life going? No where. You mom probably suck you if you ask. HAHAHAHAHA

      3. oohcoohc says:

        You cant even get the sex right Chump. Your hand must be huge. Wanker. CTFU

      4. alex knight says:

        Did you suffer from a two month deep depression before getting back on here and attempting a comeback? Give in to the depression, no one cares for you.

      5. oohcoohc says:

        LMAO small penis man.

      6. toondog says:

        Misandrist alert.

      7. oohcoohc says:

        Asshole alert. hahahaha

      8. toondog says:

        You had two months and that’s your best???? Then laughed at your big come back? Pathetic. Stop man hating and watch things improve for you.

      9. oohcoohc says:

        Ok loser responding to my old post 20 minutes later. I don’t hate men. You’re not a man, just an asshole online being a tough guy behind his keyboard. Give me your address so I can send you a pacifier. I’m pretty sure your alone playing with yourself on a daily basis. Enjoy your empty life. This is so fun. Glad I hit a nerve big baby. L M F A O

      10. toondog says:

        Talk about hitting a nerve? You sound unhinged
        And stop projecting your life on the others. Respond how you want this is my last response to you. I feel like I’m taking advantage of the mentally handicapped

      11. oohcoohc says:

        Toondog isn’t gonna respond. What ever shall I do? I don’t think I can go on. I know you want to respond but your pathetic ego and small penis may not let you. How do I know about you small penis? Your mom told me. L M F A O

      12. oohcoohc says:

        Man hating. LMAO do you say that when you have sex with your boyfriend or mom. LMFAO

      13. Bernard Marx says:

        Momma June , is that you?…..

        😉

      14. Bernard Marx says:

        Hee-hee-hee….2 months later,like throwing stones from the bushes.

        You can cover yourself with ‘tats’, Momma June wannabe – but it can’t hide butt-ugly….so go “choochoo” some more….

        😉

      15. oohcoohc says:

        Bernard, Your penis being so small shouldn’t make you mad at others. And seriously lay off Honey Boo Boo. It’s making you more stupid than you obviously are. Wow and you can figure out names. Gold star for you. You can place it on your blow up doll. Loser men are so funny. Poor little ego. L M F A O

      16. Bernard Marx says:

        Hee-hee-hee….5 months later this time,and again like throwing stones from the bushes. Get a new ‘tat’ to cover a thunder-thigh , or just through Choo(chew)Choo-ing(chewing) enough so you can type? That discomfort you feel could be a dildo stuck under a flap…..

        😉

      17. oohcoohc says:

        Small penis makes you angry. LMAO

      18. Bernard Marx says:

        You’re late , now 4 months later – guess the trauma of my last post(which you didn’t respond to) wore off.

        ” Small penis makes ‘me’ angry”? Ah, no, I don’t do penises – I’m into (pun intended) vaginas. You must be projecting , I’m sure ‘small penis’ makes YOU angry – even ‘medium or large’ – as nothing human can penetrate your blubber and flaps to get to the rancid hole.

        Maybe a horse or a donkey, though I don’t advocate for bestiality ,and the animal pro’lly wouldn’t puke on you, a plus. Though you might get a visit by the ASPCA for animal cruelty….

        😉

      19. oohcoohc says:

        BOO

  14. David says:

    I call this story BS

  15. Angela says:

    Or…. wives don’t want to go through the effort of looking nice if their husband looks like a slob (unless they plan on divorce). It’s extremely annoying to put in effort for a good and healthy body image when your spouse doesn’t take care of themselves and isn’t attractive with that extra 50-100lbs. Yep, speaking from experience.

    1. John Turner says:

      Are you saying you have an extra 50 to 100 pounds? Or is that all the extra weight from your female entitlement and ego being carried around your over the hill turkey neck. Men are not here to be your eye candy nor make you feel special after all we are all equal right and you don’t need no man? Maybe the reason your ex gained so much weight is because you are a vacuous selfish moron with sociopathic outlook and it made him wonder “what’s the point”. Stay a salty single hag just like all the other nasty single independent cat owners.

      1. localnet says:

        I was a paycheck… Glad to be rid of her.

      2. John Turner says:

        Most women have no real love and care for men. Just go MGTOW and be free of these disgusting selfish creatures.

      3. distracted reader says:

        ADD?, OCD? Typical

      4. John Turner says:

        Whats typical…… is that you are using your many fake learning disorders to cover up the fact you are a low IQ moron incapable of a real argument. Women are not victims they are whiny spoiled idiots crying for attention as the children that they are.

        After all my name is not “distracted reader” maybe get some self awareness and then some help with your ADD.

      5. Angela says:

        Current husband, not an ex. He doesn’t care to be healthy for our two daughters (one in the oven and another 17 months old) and that makes me a hag? No, I have to stay married for our daughters so I can’t talk about that stuff with him without being a nag. We don’t talk about his bad health. Frankly, anything I would say would go in one ear and out the other, so I don’t say crap to him. Someone like a doctor would have to tell him to be more healthy.

      6. Angela says:

        And no, I weigh 123″ at 5′ 2″ and he weighs 340 at 6′ 7″. However I am going into my third trimester, so my normal weight is 115. And I’m 27 years old. The military made me love working out and he enjoyed that about me. He just didn’t enjoy doing it himself or anything else physical.

      7. Angela says:

        And , no. He was 350lbs and decided that he wanted a hot wife and didn’t want to be pigeonholed into marrying a fat woman because he was fat. So he lost the weight. And we got married nary 4 months from my departure from the Navy. He kept it off for almost two years then let his old habits back in. I worked at Caterpillar until I was laid off. But he wanted a stay at home wife for all the babies. With a decent severance package, I conceded. Still help with our rental property, over 50 chickens, 17 month old and currently pregnant with our second daughter due in September. I feel better about myself caring for my appearance and not being one of “those” wives that gain weight. But if I’m putting in effort, shouldn’t he? I want to desire my husband, but with all the fat, it’s very HARD. If he was at least trying to be healthy, that would be one thing.

    2. localnet says:

      I am in the process of finalizing my divorce, the weight loss has been significant. 😉

    3. J Smith says:

      Angela, your comment shows you are likely both a slob and a little bit dumb.
      The study shows a gender DIFFERENCE.

      1. Angela says:

        Um, no. I love working out, enjoy the gym, but my hubby has +200lbs on me. When we married, he cared about his physique and made time for it. Now, he just wants to veg infront of the TV.

      2. Angela says:

        Maybe my only dumb choice was not having a prenuptial dictating health standards.