In a study, US researchers took a closer look at the reasons for cheating. They surveyed 500 people, mostly students and members of Generation Digital. All of the protagonists had already cheated on a partner in their lives. With 77 questions, three researchers from the University of Maryland, Indiana University and Stony Brook University got to the bottom of the motives for this behavior.
Contrary to expectations, the most common reason why someone becomes unfaithful in a relationship is not sexual desire, but simply the feeling of anger, according to the study. The most common reasons for an affair are relationship conflicts, revenge and quarrels within the partnership. In women, this motive predominates in contrast to men.
Reasons such as sexual desire and the desire for variety were cited more often than women. The 2020 study clearly showed: "If the sex life within a partnership does not correspond to the wishes and ideas, it increases the likelihood that someone will cheat."
However, the situation also plays a significant role in the survey. If, for example, you meet someone in a bar under stress and under the influence of alcohol and you are annoyed by your relationship anyway, the circumstances increase the likelihood of a one-night stand enormously.
Another cross-gender reason is a lack of self-esteem, insecurities in the relationship and too little closeness or even rejection by your partner. If you don't feel cared for and loved enough by your partner in the relationship, this can also lead to people cheating and cheating on each other who are looking for affection or validation outside their four walls.
An interesting addition to the study was that the researchers found that women's affairs often lasted longer than men's. In addition, women are usually more emotionally satisfied and more closely connected to the affair than men. Incidentally, a tenth of affairs actually ended up in a relationship, across genders.
Within the survey, it also became clear that women would be more likely to admit a slip-up. According to the study, the partner's cheating led to failure in only one out of five cases, most of the relationships persisted because half knew nothing about it and the other half could forgive the cheating.
Sources: RND, Taylor
