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Study Claims Women with Unattractive Boyfriends Eat More Junk Food

According to research from Florida State University, women who are deemed better looking than their partners are not motivated to eat healthily. Right ...
Photo via stu_spivack.

When you've made it a few months into a new relationship, it's usually safe to start letting things all hang out. No longer must you avoid the garlicky dishes on the menu or attempt to slurp spaghetti in a graceful manner. Once things are official (i.e. you've deleted Tinder from your phone), you won't think twice about ordering those barbecue-sauce laden ribs or greasy chicken wings.

Science may have some good news for those of you who plough through stuffed crust pizza in front of their beloved like it's nbd. According to a new study from Florida State University, if you're a lady who regularly eats junk food with your boo, you're probably the more attractive one in the relationship.

The questionable research, published earlier this month in Body Image journal, found that in heterosexual relationships, women are more likely to diet if they are deemed to be less attractive than their partners. Conversely, women who were deemed better looking than their partners were not motivated to eat healthily and lose weight. Based on questionnaires completed by 223 recently married couples, the researchers also claimed that men's motivations to diet were low, regardless of their own or their wife's perceived attractiveness.

The findings may sound like the kind of "research" to be filed immediately in the Sexist Bullshit pile, but the study's authors insist that they're onto something. Andrea Meltzer, assistant professor of psychology at Florida State and study co-author, said in a press release: "The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive. 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."

It's not the first time that science has supposedly uncovered strange eating and dating behaviours. Previous studies claim that getting wasted together is the secret to a long-lasting relationship and, more controversially, that women avoid eating fries in front of men. Really?

The only definitive conclusion to be drawn from all this? Have your Meat Feast and enjoy it, we'll still find you attractive.