Does your Partner have a sudden interest in weight loss or looking good?

If so, perhaps you should be worried.

A recent study by the Klein University of Heidelberg showed some interesting results relating to partnerships and weight loss or gain.

The Max Weber Institute of Sociology at the Klein University has studied approximately 2000 participants between the ages of 16 and 55, researching the ways in which partnership markets affect motivation for weight management.

“If there’s not too much competition on the partnership market, singles will pay less attention to their weight and accordingly not get much heavier in a partnership,” explains Professor Thomas Klein.

“But if they anticipate strong rivalry, they will pay greater attention to their figure and get heavier as soon as a steady relationship stops them from having to worry about potential competitors,” he adds.

Overall, singles tended to have a lower weight to potential attract a partner and those in a relationship, seeing less or no completion, tended to weight gain.

Once married or in a long term relationship, people relax their priority on weight and appearance.

According to Professor Klein, those, ” in a relationship feel less pressure and often put on weight as they do not watch their weight so much.”

The comfort factor in knowing they are no longer competing to ‘win’ a partner allows people to relax and let down their guard.

But what if there’s a sudden focus on weight loss? According to the study, this may indicate  a new partner on the scene or  re-entering the single market.

“[O]ne can also interpret weight loss as a kind of preparation for a return to the partnership market, a concern for physical attractiveness caused by an awareness that it may soon be necessary to go in search of a partner again,” says Professor Klein.

By contrast, relationship crises may result in weight loss. The findings by Klein University showed that  relationships in trouble featured frequently lower weights than relationships deemed healthy and stable.

“It is conceivable that this may also have to do with the fact that there are fewer joint meals or that the problems have psychosomatic repercussions,” the Professor explains.

Research findings concluded that lower weight or weight loss occurred both in singles feeling the pressure of competition or those in a troubled relationship where partners may need to seek out a new partner in the near future.

It also showed that those in a stable relationship, where little or no competition for a partner exists, were less concerned with weight maintenance and, in fact, gained weight.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 8:50 am by Andrew Talati and is filed under Health in general.

Tags: Exercise, Weight loss

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