Geschatte leestijd: 2 minutenNew British research shows that marriage makes men fatter. If you are a man and want to postpone the marriage proposal for a while, this could possibly be a good reason.
‘And they lived long and fat’
I’ve been married for almost 17 years and have a six-pack. Apparently quite exceptional according to recent research by the researchers at the British Bath University [1]. Not only marriage but also early fatherhood would lead to the necessary extra kilos. Married men appear to have a higher BMI and to be on average 1.4 kilograms heavier than their single counterparts. A confirmation of the logical thought that singles are more motivated to stay fit than married men.
It also confirms earlier theories that marriage leads to more social occasions where larger meals are eaten. One of those occasions could simply be eating as a family. The research refutes the theory that married men would be healthier thanks to more social support.
During pregnancy, there is no effect on weight for the man, but especially in the first years after the birth of children, men tend to gain weight on average. But fortunately, that weight also decreases shortly before and immediately following a divorce. That brings it back into balance. According to this research at least.
The British looked at the data of American heterosexual couples from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, over the period 1999 – 2013, for their research. They published their findings in Social Science and Medicine:
It’s useful for individuals to understand which social factors may influence weight gain, especially common ones such as marriage and parenthood, so that they can make informed decisions about their health and well-being. For married men who want to avoid BMI increases that will mean being mindful of their own changing motivation, behaviour and eating habits. Given major public health concerns about obesity, understanding more about the social science factors that can cause weight fluctuation is important.
Dr. Joanna Syrda
Secondmeal.nl
I wonder how the results would look if corrected for the use of sites like secondlove.nl. A correction for the fact that for some, the hunt after marriage is not yet over. After all, you can turn off the result of the assumed reduced motivation against the effect of the ‘more social’ meals. There are plenty of men who still find enough reason to look good for the opposite sex even in a marriage.
Just to clarify: not every married man with a six-pack is suspicious! 😉
Divorce gains
By the way, earlier research speaks against weight loss after a divorce. At least if it’s measured for a bit longer, up to two years after the divorce. Possibly, in this recent research, only averages were looked at and the short term. Maybe the men were just extra motivated to go hunting again and lose a few pounds for that. However, earlier American research from 2011 showed that a divorce can cause some men to gain more than 10 kilograms in the two years after a divorce [2]. Probably when they realize that dating is a stress factor in itself and not so good for your cortisol levels.
References
- Joanna Syrda. The impact of marriage and parenthood on male body mass index: Static and dynamic effects. Social Science & Medicine, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.05.033
- Ohio State University. “Large weight gains most likely for men after divorce, women after marriage.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 August 2011.
