Is it true that men who marry fat women live longer?

[mad_scientist]

http://www.rebelcircus.com/blog/new-research-men-who-marry-chubby-women-are-happier-and-live-longer/

How accurate is the above article?

[iNow]

Happy lives are longer lives. The link btw happiness and overweight spouses is at best questionable. 

[mad_scientist]

28 minutes ago, iNow said:

Happy lives are longer lives. The link btw happiness and overweight spouses is at best questionable. 

Why do you think it is at best questionable?

[Arete]

1 hour ago, mad_scientist said:

Why do you think it is at best questionable?

The scientific article cited is misinterpreted. The study  tests the hypothesis that attraction, on terms of male preference for female body type, is environmentally inducible - concluding that it is.  The study shows that men under stress prefer heavier set women than men not under stress, not that men who marry heavier set women are "happier" than men who marry slighter women, as the article suggests.

This is pretty uncontroversial in terms of evolution - in times of uncertainty, increased resource provision means lower infant mortality. Women with higher adipose storage will have lower infant mortality rates than women with less when resources are limited. 

Edited October 1, 2017 by Arete

[mad_scientist]

20 minutes ago, Arete said:

The scientific article cited is misinterpreted. The study  tests the hypothesis that attraction, on terms of male preference for female body type, is environmentally inducible - concluding that it is.  The study shows that men under stress prefer heavier set women than men not under stress, not that men who marry heavier set women are "happier" than men who marry slighter women, as the article suggests.

This is pretty uncontroversial in terms of evolution - in times of uncertainty, increased resource provision means lower infant mortality. Women with higher adipose storage will have lower infant mortality rates than women with less when resources are limited. 

So, do you think it is better for a man to marry a chubby/fat woman or a skinny one?

[iNow]

People should marry the person that makes them happy, someone who is a good fit. Weight is irrelevant. 

[John Cuthber]

Women should not marry men who make their choice on the basis of a misunderstanding of a correlation with body weight (and nor should men).

 

[Phi for All]

12 hours ago, mad_scientist said:

Why do you think it is at best questionable?

I would add that it seems aimed at attracting attention to the article rather than accurately informing readers about the study. This is typical of pop-sci journalism, and critical reasoning is essential to avoid popular spin.

[mad_scientist]

5 hours ago, iNow said:

People should marry the person that makes them happy, someone who is a good fit. Weight is irrelevant. 

You can consider weight one of among the countless other factors when selecting a mate. There is nothing wrong with this. We all look for certain things in certain people (e.g. facial symmetry, youthful looks etc.)

[iNow]

I didn’t say there was anything wrong, however your study is so obviously flawed that it’s odd you are continuing to post as if it’s not. 

Edited October 1, 2017 by iNow
spelling is hard

[Arete]

On 9/30/2017 at 11:20 PM, mad_scientist said:

So, do you think it is better for a man to marry a chubby/fat woman or a skinny one?

If you live in an environment where starvation is not a significant risk, it's irrelevant. 

[Lord Antares]

22 hours ago, mad_scientist said:

You can consider weight one of among the countless other factors when selecting a mate. There is nothing wrong with this. We all look for certain things in certain people (e.g. facial symmetry, youthful looks etc.)

 

19 hours ago, iNow said:

I didn’t say there was anything wrong, however your study is so obviously flawed that it’s odd you are continuing to post as if it’s not. 

 

Not just that, but this discussion is meaningless for an individual. If the article says that an average male is happier with a heavier female (even if it's a misenterpretation), that means nothing to you individually. You marry who you want to marry, by your criteria.

If a study says that men, on average, prefer to wear black shirts over blue shirts, does that mean that wearing black shirts is better? No, that makes no sense.