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Many people dream of a perfect marriage , some lucky ones also end up finding it, but they might not be as lucky as they think. A recent study connects marital bliss with the rise in obesity.

For the study , 169 newly wedded couples were taken who had been married for just  six months and their relationship was monitored for four years. The average age of the men was 25 years while that of the women was 23 years. The data was collected individually for the couple for a total of eight times. They were asked questions about their weight and their satisfaction with the marriage.

"It's pretty widely accepted that marriage itself is associated with weight gain and divorce with weight loss. What is less clear is the role of [marital] satisfaction in marital weight gain. Satisfaction is positively associated with weight gain. Spouses who are more satisfied tend to gain more weight, and spouses who are less satisfied tend to gain less weight," Meltzer was quoted in MedicalXpress.

While explaining the phenomenon, Meltzer suggested that those who were not happy with their marriage might be thinking of ending it and the worry of it might result in weight loss. Those who are happily married are complacent as they have found their partner and think that they do not have to look good anymore and ignore their fitness regime. In what she labelled as "mating market" model, she explained that the interest in keeping in shape and maintaining it ,was primarily spurred by the will to find a mate. Though the average weight gain was not substantial, however, long term gain might make a considerable difference to one's physique.

Health and fitness regime should be regularly discussed  among spouses, they can encourage each other to stay fit and eat healthy and appreciate if the other partner is following the routine. This ensures a healthy lifestyle, a fit individual and also the longevity of the couple.