In the last few months we’ve seen a flurry of studies revealing what women find attractive, none of which really take into account that we all have different definitions of what's sexy. One such study, by British clothing company Jacamo, found that women go for the "boy next door" over men with big muscles. Not long after that study came the whole “dad bod” thing, which, despite its blatant sexism, was also supposed to be some trend that we, as women, think is sexy. But now, a new study has found that women who are married to men who exercise are actually happier.
According to the study by the Yale School of Public Heath, if a man works out regularly, his wife is far happier because of it. As the study noted, keeping a not only does wonders for lowering depression rates in these men, but for some reason all that positivity rubs off on their partner, too. However, when women exercise, they don’t reap the same positive mental benefits as the men do. Instead, ladies get more from their partners hitting the gym than themselves, which, to be honest, sounds good to me. I have better things to do with my time anyway.
Over a 10-year period,1,200 married couples in their 60s were asked to keep track of their exercising, as well as note their risk of depression. When all was said and done, the results kept coming back to the same place: When men exercise, everyone is happy; when women work out, it’s just sort of “meh” for both of them.
The researchers think this is probably the case, because as men age exercise has a greater positive effect on their psyche than it does on women. Because that’s the case, a happy husband makes for a happy wife, and emotional well-being is spread all around.
It’s no secret that exercise is good for you. Not only do you physically benefit in that you become stronger, more energized, and therefore happier, but your brain also gets an endorphin kick that can keep depression and stress levels down. Although this study may not bode well for the positive effects exercise can have on a marriage when women hit the gym, this isn’t to suggest it's not beneficial. Having a healthy relationship is important, but if it comes at the price of putting your love for your own workout routine on hold, then that’s crazy talk.
But back to what women want ― so what is it ladies? Seth Rogan or someone like David Beckham? You do realize you can’t have both … because the studies say so! Groan.
Images: See-ming Lee/Flickr; Giphy(2)
