The secret to maintaining a happy marriage is based on the wife remaining slimmer than her husband, according to a new study.

一项新研究表明：幸福婚姻的秘密在于妻子要比丈夫瘦。

Researchers claim both partners are more content if the woman has a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than the man.

研究者们声称，当女性的体重指数比男性低时，夫妻双方更有满足感。

A four-year study found that relationships lasted longer if the woman felt more attractive and desirable than her other half.

这项历时四年的研究发现，当女性们感觉比她们的另一半更有魅力和受欢迎时，双方的关系更持久。

But relationship experts have already dismissed the findings, insisting that size is not necessarily a key factor in a husband finding his wife attractive.

但两性关系导师们则否认这些发现，他们坚持认为体型并不是丈夫们发现妻子吸引人的重要因素。

The study at the University of Tennessee selected 169 married couples under the age of 35 and asked them to fill in questionnaires every six months for four years.

田纳西州大学的这项研究选取了169对35岁以下的已婚夫妇，在四年的时间里每隔6个月请他们填一份调查问卷。

The findings discovered that men with a higher BMI than their wives were happier at the start of their marriage and stayed that way.

研究发现，那些体重指数比妻子们高的丈夫们在结婚之初更幸福，并且这种幸福感会一直持续下去。

Equally women with a lower BMI than their husbands were happier than those who weighed more.

同样地，那些体重指数比丈夫低的妻子们比其它体重指数高的妻子们更幸福。

The findings could perhaps shed some light on last week's announcement that Jennifer Lopez, who is celebrated for her curvy figure, was splitting from her thinner husband Marc Anthony after seven years together.

这个研究也许能影射上周发表离婚声明的珍妮弗·洛佩兹，这位以曲线美著称的明星在结婚七年后跟比自己更瘦的马克·安东尼离婚了。

One of the authors of the report Andrea Meltzer said: “The great message from our study is that women of any size can be happy in their relationship with the right partner. It’s relative weight that matters, not absolute weight.”

该研究报告的作者之一Andrea Meltzer说道：“我们这项研究里最重要的信息就是女性们不管是什么身材，只要能找到正确的伴侣，婚姻就能幸福。起作用的只是夫妻间的相对体重，而不是个人的体重。”

But relationships expert Jean Hannah Edelstein expressed doubts about the findings.

但两性关系导师Jean Hannah Edelstein对此项研究表示怀疑。

She said: “I would be sceptical that most men would really reject their partners on the basis of being overweight if there were no other issues.”

她说道：“如果没有其他任何原因，大多数男人会因为另一半体重超重而拒绝她们吗？我对此深表怀疑。”