Why Are Married People Fatter Than Single People?

Researchers in Europe wanted to determine if people in relationships gain weight. John Iadarola and Ana Kasparian (The Point) hosts of The Young Turks discuss.

"If you find yourself gaining weight once you’re in a relationship, you’re not alone. A recent study that compared the body mass indexes of singles to spouses found that, on average, coupled people had higher BMIs than people who were single.

Scientists from across Europe analyzed data from over 10,000 people in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain and the U.K. They found that while the average single man had a BMI of 25.7, the average married man had a BMI of 26.3. The average single lady had a BMI of 25.1, while the average married woman had a BMI of 25.6.

For reference, a BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight; a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

The study doesn’t explain why there are weight differences between married and single people, but lead author Jutta Mata of the University of Basel said that her findings did support what scientists called the “Marriage Market Hypothesis.” That is, once you’ve found a mate and are “off the market,” there’s less incentive for you to invest in your looks by keeping your weight down. For instance, said Mata, in countries with high divorce rates, married people have lower BMIs than married people in countries with a low divorce rate. Perhaps this is because those who live in a high-divorce culture understand that there's a higher chance they’ll return to the “marriage market.”

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