This is why women fall prey to eating disorders!

Image for representational purpose only

New York: A new study has found that women are at higher risk of developing eating disorder because of their desire to diet and seek a slim body depending on the attractiveness of the partner.

According to the study, women who were evaluated as less attractive were more motivated to diet and be thin if their husbands or partners were attractive than them.

This extra motivation to diet did not exist among the women who were more attractive than their husbands.

As for men, their motivation to diet was low regardless of their wives attractiveness or their own, the researchers said.

Tania Reynolds, doctoral student at the Florida State University said,"The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive."

The study offers productive insights about relationships in which a woman fears she will fall short of her partner's expectations.

Understanding the predictors that increase a woman's risk of developing eating disorders and other health problems could lead to earlier assistance.

Reynolds said,"It might be helpful to identify women at risk of developing more extreme weight-loss behaviours, which have been linked to other forms of psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and dissatisfaction with life."

She added,"If we understand how women's relationships affect their decision to diet and the social predictors for developing unhealthy eating behaviours, then we will be better able to help them."

For the study, the team examined 113 newlywed couples -- married less than four months, average age late 20s, living in Dallas area -- who agreed to be rated on their attractiveness.

The study was published in the journal Body Image.

(With IANS inputs)