The article highlights the lesser-known psychological effects of weight loss, particularly through weight-loss drugs, on romantic relationships. It discusses a recent New York Times Magazine piece that delves into how relationships change when one partner experiences significant weight loss. With one in eight Americans having tried these drugs, the focus is often on physical side effects while the effects on relationships remain under-explored. Issues like social comparison and behavioral contagion raise interesting questions about how individuals in a couple or social group react to these changes, affecting mutual perceptions and interactions.
Of all the unforeseen side effects of weight-loss drugs, the impact on romantic relationships when one partner loses a dramatic amount of weight has yet to be fully explored.
Social comparison is the tendency to measure performance on a given metric using others as a basis for contrast, significantly affecting close relationships.
Studies in psychology have documented for decades the potential contagion of many behaviors those closest to us engage in-which can include our relationships to food.
When one person in a group alters what they are eating or how they look, it can be perceived by other group members as a threat.
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