New York Post

‘I DO’ PUT ON POUNDS

Wed guys fatter: study

- By ADRIANA DIAZ

Happy wife, happy life, happy fat?

Men are more likely than women to gain weight after marriage, according to a study published in the journal Economics & Human Biology. Marriage has a significan­t effect on body-mass index among men specifical­ly within the first five years of getting married. But there was no clear correlatio­n for women. Researcher­s at the Chinese Academy of Social Science analyzed data from ten rounds of the China Health and Nutrition Survey spanning from 1989 to 2015.

They found that marriage is associated with a 5.2% increase in becoming overweight and a 2.5% rise in obesity among men.

The experts noted that this spike in BMI came as men tended to eat more and exercise less as their marriage continued.

“Men are facing a significan­t risk of obesity as they age, so after marriage, it’s important that they don’t ‘let themselves go’ by maintainin­g healthy eating habits and exercising regularly,” Shiwen Quan, of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, told the Daily Mail.

Previous research has found that married individual­s tend to have significan­tly higher BMI than singletons, specifical­ly finding that the more satisfied someone is in their intimate relationsh­ip, the more likely they are to become obese, a phenomenon commonly referred to as “happy fat.”

However, these results may vary for Westerners.

Scientists have found that romantic relationsh­ips don’t just mess with your physical health, but can also rewire your brain.

A study recently published in the journal Behavioura­l Sciences is said to be the first to understand the link between the mind’s behavioral activation system and feelings of romantic love.

While it has long been understood that romantic love spurs the release of the so-called “love hormone” responsibl­e for the euphoria one feels when falling in love, this new study found that being in love can cause part of the brain to scramble so your paramour becomes the center of your world.

However, experts still have much more to understand about love, as do most people.

“We actually know very little about the evolution of romantic love,” lead researcher Adam Bode said.

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