Most people are resigned to the fact that good looking people have a greater chance of being happy in a relationship. Those people actually think that appearance matters and this may influence the way they build their relationship.
However, a new study claims that people have different views and opinions about it. In fact, some women even admitted that their relationship with the less attractive men had become more successful than their relationship with the good looking guys.
According to a research study by Florida State University, experts have found that heterosexual relationships tend to be more successful when the female is the more attractive one than the male.
In an article from Unilad, the researches have come up with this conclusion:
“To complete the study, the couples agreed to be rated on their attractiveness by boffins from Southern Methodist University and Florida State University, and were given a questionnaire to fill in, which explored their desire to remain fit and sexy.”
“The study examined 113 exclusively newlywed couples in their 20s, who live near Dallas and had been married less than four months, thus rendering the findings completely unrepresentative of anyone not befitting that description.”
According to Researcher Tania Reynolds, who co-wrote the study, the Florida State University study has wider implications:
“The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive.”
“It might be helpful to identify women at risk of developing more extreme weight-loss behavior, which has been linked to other forms of psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and dissatisfaction with life.”
It also has something to do with women’s diet, as women who are with less attractive husbands felt less need to diet all the time, which apparently made them much happier in their relationship.
Meanwhile, this was not the case with most men as they don’t feel pressured to diet because of the appearance of their partner.
“In contrast, men’s dieting motivations were not significantly associated with their own and their partners’ attractiveness.”
“The husbands seemed to be basically more committed, more invested in pleasing their wives when they felt that they were getting a pretty good deal.”
Tania Reynolds also provided some suggestions as to how couples can combat negative feelings.
According to her, “One way to help these women is for partners to be very reaffirming, reminding them, ‘You’re beautiful. I love you at any weight or body type’.
“Or perhaps focusing on the ways they are a good romantic partner outside of attractiveness and emphasizing those strengths: ‘I really value you because you’re a kind, smart and supportive partner,” she added.
She also concluded that:
“If we understand how women’s relationships affect their decision to diet and the social predictors for developing unhealthy eating behaviors then we will be better able to help them.”
source: elitereaders