Want your husband to lose a few pounds? The solution is to nag him about it

When it comes to the challenge of losing weight, there’s nothing like having the backing and support of a loving partner. But it turns out the best way for a wife to persuade her husband to shed a few pounds may be to nag him about it as well.

 Research shows some men are much more likely to lose weight if their other halves criticise, confront and reject them, rather than offer sugar-coated encouragement. American researchers who studied how couples support each other in the battle of the bulge found men who lacked motivation to diet and exercise got much better results if their wives gave them a hard time over it.

 But the same approach does not work for women, it appears. They found women regularly criticised by their partner for gaining extra pounds were unlikely to take action. The psychologists behind the study, from the University of California in Los Angeles, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Florida State University, said they think the reason may be that women already face such intense pressure from society to remain slim that if they have not already been prompted to do something about their weight, a few harsh words from their husbands is unlikely to make much difference. 

The findings, published in the Journal of Family Psychology, show giving negative feedback can sometimes have positive benefits in a relationship.

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