So, having a hot AF partner could harm your body image (apparently)

Aug 1, 2017

So, there's nothing like finding a partner who loves you unconditionally to provide a little confidence boost, right?

Wrong. Relationships in which one person is considered more attractive could actually have quite the opposite effect, apparently.

According to a new study, women with attractive partners are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and develop eating disorders.

Researchers from Florida State University found that when it comes to heterosexual relationships, women who are deemed less attractive than their partners are more likely to follow strict diet and exercise regimes.

And of course, the study, published in Body Image Journal earlier this month, also found that men, regardless of how attractive their partner may be, rarely feel the need to do the same.

113 newlywed couples in their twenties agreed to have their attractiveness rated by an independent group of people and answer questions about their motivation to eat healthy and balanced diets.

(Now, we're not entirely sure what 'scale' of attractiveness was used in order to rate the participants, so we're going to go ahead and reccomend you take these results with a pinch of salt.)

The study found that the women who were deemed less attractive than their partners had an increased motivation to diet and were at higher risk of developing disordered eating.

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.“