Women happier being slim than finding Mr. Right

LONDON - Being the right size makes a woman more happy than finding the right man, according to a new study.

The 24-year study has found that a woman’s weight has a greater effect on her spirits than her love life does.

And it seems that being obese leads to more misery and suffering than being single - while being thin provides more satisfaction than a relationship.

According to experts, the stigma surrounding being overweight has become so great that it can affect almost every aspect of life.

“I have worked with many overweight women and their weight is always on their minds,” the Daily Mail quoted Dr Pam Spurr, a psychologist and author of How to be a Happy Human, as saying.

“And not at the back of their minds but at the forefront, because we live in a society that is constantly evaluating shape, size and attractiveness.

“People who are obese are stigmatised by people thinking they are stupid or lazy or just don’t care.”

On the other hand, being single has become more socially acceptable.

Spurr said: “Someone might say “She’s single but she’s lovely”. A single woman may be incredibly lonely but have much more hope.”

But those women who have found their dream man are likely to be happier if they focus on building a home with him rather than landing their dream job.

The study of the ups and downs of the lives of thousands of Germans between 1984 and 2008 found that a good home life is more important than a glittering career.

Being sociable and exercising also boosts life satisfaction.

But perhaps more surprisingly, not having enough work makes us all more miserable than being overworked.

The researchers, from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, said: “For both men and women, being underworked is much worse than being overworked, presumably because lost consumption rankles worse than lost leisure.”

The study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)