Relationship Advice: What We Didn’t Know About Cheating and Why People Cheat on Each Other
The topic of adultery has been the subject of many films and books. From bored women to men seeking the ideal, these stories are as endless as life itself. What makes people cheat? Our biological nature is partly to blame, but modern technology also plays a significant role.
Differences in the ‘happiness hormone’ affect the likelihood of cheating
The neurotransmitter dopamine enters our bloodstream when we do something pleasurable, such as eating or making love. There are two different types of dopamine, and the body only produces one of them. Scientists have found that people with a longer dopamine effect have a higher rate of cheating (about 50%). These people are also more prone to risk and addiction.
Most mammals are polygamous.
Only 3% of mammals are monogamous, and humans are in most cases among that group. Remarkably, most other primate species, our genetic relatives, do not stay with their partners for life, as we do.
Social media increases cheating
The rise of social media has been paralleled by a rise in infidelity. Why? Sites like Facebook and Instagram have made it possible for people to reconnect with former lovers, increasing the rates of infidelity and divorce.
Levels of the ‘cuddle hormone’ influence infidelity
Although the main role of the hormone vasopressin is to keep our bodies hydrated and our blood vessels healthy, this cuddle hormone helps us form relationships. People with lower levels of vasopressin are more likely to cheat and have less trust in their partner.
Most spouses will cheat sooner or later.
Approximately 50% of married women and 60% of married men will engage in an affair at some point. These figures are twice as high as they were 10 years ago.
The lower your voice, the more likely your partner thinks you’re a cheater.
The lower a man’s voice, the more likely a woman is to consider him a cheater. On the other hand, men are more likely to consider women with a high-pitched voice to be cheaters. This is due to the fact that the voice timbre depends on the level of testosterone and estrogen. However, women often consider men with a low voice more attractive, albeit for short-term relationships.
Cheating doesn’t mean you’re unhappy in your marriage.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, cheaters often consider their marriages to be quite happy. About 56% of men and 34% of women who cheated said they were “happy” or “very happy” in their marriages.
Women cheat more often during ovulation
From a biological perspective, this fact fits in perfectly with the idea of species survival. During ovulation, when a woman is fertile, she is more attracted to men other than her partner. The exception is women whose partner is already incredibly sexually attractive.
Most cheaters are busy looking for a new partner during working hours.
According to data from a dating site, 68% of cheaters look for a mistress while at work. Remarkably, they do this for an average of 1.17 hours daily, meaning some people spend more than an hour of their working time looking for a secret partner.
Men and women have different meanings when they think of cheating
Most men are worse about physical cheating, and most women are worse about emotional cheating. Women are more likely to consider various antics as cheating; for example, a passionate kiss is considered cheating by 90% of women and 75% of men, and flirting via text message by 68% of women and 51% of men.
Faking an orgasm can lead to infidelity
Both men and women who fake orgasms are more likely to cheat on their partners. (Interestingly, no link was found between frequency of orgasms and infidelity.) In numbers, women fake orgasms 20% of the time, while men fake them 5%. Interestingly, men are more likely to stay with a woman who orgasms every time.
Cheating is the cause of 65% of divorces
Most marriages break up after infidelity. Only 35% of couples are able to survive it and stay together.
Deception to protect offspring
To protect their young, female chimpanzees often have multiple partners. In this case, no male can be sure whether he is the baby’s father and will not try to kill it.
Cheaters experience increased sexual activity in marriage
Due to the release of hormones into the blood, cheaters often become more sexually active towards their spouse.
Who cheats more?
Women under 25 cheat more often than older women. The reason for cheating can be dissatisfaction with their sex life.
Blondes really are more fun
The lyrics to the song “Blondes are more fun” seem to be true. A study conducted on a dating site found that 42% of cheaters were blondes. The rest of the cheaters’ hair colors were distributed as follows: 23% redheads, 20% brown-haired, and 11% black-haired. For men, the proportion is completely different: 40% of brown-haired cheaters, 23% of black-haired, 20% of blondes, and 5% of redheads.
Most affairs occur with co-workers.
85% of cheating starts in the workplace. It’s no surprise—hours spent working closely together on a project lead to strong bonds and sometimes even love.
Cheaters love to shop
To look attractive to their lovers, a third of cheating women spend more money when shopping. Sometimes they even have a secret credit card.
Rock music fans are more likely to cheat
Our musical preferences are also linked to our propensity to cheat. In the UK, 42% of cheaters named rock and roll as their favourite genre. The least likely to cheat were listeners of rap (2%), gospel (3%), rhythm and blues (5%) and classical music (7%). Interestingly, in Ireland, cheaters prefer country music.
Big penis is not that good
Oddly enough, men with larger penises are more likely to have their wives cheat on them. According to a study conducted in Kenya, for every extra inch, the likelihood of cheating increased by 150%. Perhaps the culprit is pain, which interferes with pleasure.
