Women with attractive husbands are more at risk to get an eating disorder
A new study from Florida State University revealed that women with attractive partners are more susceptible to suffer from poor self-esteem and develop eating disorders.
The research was published in Body Image Journal, stating that in heterosexual relationships, women who are considered less attractive than their partners are more likely to diet, while those who are deemed better looking feel no need to diet in order to lose weight. Furthermore, it showed that men are rarely willing to do the same, despite the perceived level of attractiveness of their wives.
For the study, 113 newlywed couples in their twenties who had been wed for less than four months were analyzed. They were rated on attractiveness and asked questions about their motivations to eat healthily. A full-body photograph of each participant was taken and rated on a scale of one to 10 with one focusing on facial attractiveness while the other looked at body attractiveness, as the Independent reports.
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Each participant had to complete a lengthy questionnaire focusing partly on their desire to have a thin body, with options like “I feel extremely guilty after eating,” “I like my stomach to be empty,” and “I’m terrified of gaining weight.” “The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive,” said Andrea Meltzer, assistant professor of psychology at Florida State and study co-author. “In order to better understand women’s dieting motivations, the findings of this study highlight the value of adopting an approach that focuses on a couple’s relationship.“
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