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You understand that break ups can change your weight—either for the better (more time for the gym!) or the worse (oh hai, Ben & Jerry’s). But did you know that weight gain can be caused by relationship stress and dilemmas if you are in a committed relationship? (Learn about the other strange ways the body reacts to stress.)

(Weirdly enough, when girls had fewer relationship criticisms, the husbands were more likely to gain weight. Researchers believe this might be because it suggests the girl does not care.)

“The anxiety experienced by partners, rather than the person’s anxiety, was correlated with increased waist circumference. This effect of pressure was even more powerful in particular spousal relationships.”

And do not believe that simply because you haven’t been married for three decades that your youthful love will shield you. Birditt says although she notes you mightn’t feel the health effects as as mature couples, the effects of partner pressure are the same for younger couples. (But once you have gained that weight, those increased amounts of body fat can in fact activate a brutal strain-weight gain cycle.)

Regardless of what the motive, yet, the message is clear: Relationship pressure changes both partners, so both of you should take an effective part in managing it. “It is essential for couples to discover ways to survive together using positive coping strategies like exercising collectively, having composed conversations, and creating common aims,” she says at an online relationship site.