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If you are starting to have tighter shirts and hard-to-button pants, take it as a good sign. Because according to science, the best way to tell if a couple is happily in love is by looking at their waistlines.

A new study from the Research on the National Center for Biotechnology Information says that if a couple is satisfied with their relationship, they tend to gain weight. Yes, looks like those flabs on your bod are called love handles for a reason.

For the study, the researchers followed 169 couples on their marriage over the course of four years. The couples’ weights were recorded twice a year, and were asked about their marital life and overall satisfaction. Through this, they found out that couples who reported happy marriages were the ones who gained weight, while others who remained slim unfortunately hit Splitsville.

The researchers claim that this is because people in stable, happy relationships are not under any pressure to attract another mate. This leads them to be confident that their partner won’t leave them, and that they don’t need to impress them anymore. On the other hand, the slim ones in rocky relationships have to maintain their figures so as to continue attracting potential mates.

But wait, this doesn’t mean that you should go eat three boxes of pizza and drink five bottles of beer a day to ensure long lasting happiness in your relationship. The researchers also expressed concern over the fact that stable relationships might have a negative impact on health.

Lead researcher psychologist Andrea L. Meltzer said that couples should pay attention to their weight gain, because it can lead to health consequences such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

"By focusing more on weight in terms of health implications as opposed to appearance implications, satisfied couples may be able to avoid potentially unhealthy weight gain over time in their marriages," said Dr. Meltzer.

So if you’ve put on a few pounds since getting into a relationship, be happy that you’re in a stable relationship, but don’t forget to hit the gym and ditch the junk food once in a while. You don’t want to risk your health especially now that you’ve found the one, don’t you?

Source: http://www.fhm.com.ph/be-a-better-ma...-a273-20160711