He wasn't reading the article perhaps was he? They say that in the article he read today:
"He still says things that are callous, at least on the surface."She'll say something about how terrible her clothes look," Mr. Jorgensen explains. "I'll say, `Yes, honey, those are terrible-looking clothes,' when really she's wanting some affirmation that her clothes don't look terrible."
At those moments, Ms. Jorgensen now tells her husband that he is acting like an "ass burger," a running joke that defuses anger on both sides. But such exchanges have mostly disappeared because Ms. Jorgensen knows that she is unlikely to get what she wants that way.
When my wife asks "do these pants make me look fat/my butt look big/etc..." I respond, "Its not the pants."
I must have this syndrome! Get me some meds!