Scientists discover depressing new reason why people cheat on their partners
No matter how much you love and dote on your partner, it won't necessarily prevent them from cheating.
That's according to a new study which suggests neither will showering them with compliments or having regular sex.
Researchers at California State University found that the primary reasons people are unfaithful are driven by individual tendencies such as their own commitment to the relationship and threshold for temptation, with minimal influence from the partner.
The findings contrasted their theory that people would be more likely to cheat if their relationship lacked passion or intimacy.
The study reported that people who said they were very committed to the relationship were 78 percent less likely to engage in infidelity than participants who had lower commitment levels
Participants answered questions about whether their partner was passionate, if they believed their partner was unfaithful and their own commitment to the relationship.
Researchers surveyed 1,912 people who were married or living with their partner and asked them questions like: 'During the time you and [your partner] have/had a sexual relationship, has/did [your partner] ever have any other sexual partners?,' 'How close are you to your partner?' and 'How committed are you to your relationship?'
The study, published in the journal Deviant Behavior, found people who said they were very committed to the relationship were 78 percent less likely to engage in infidelity than participants who had lower commitment levels.
'The decision to be unfaithful is solely an individualistic quality in which zero culpability should be directed toward one's partner, as having more sex and developing a deeper bond with one's partner did not serve as a deterrent for infidelity,' the study said.
The findings mean that although couples have been led to believe that affection, or a lack thereof, is the primary reason for a partner being unfaithful, the reality is that it comes down to how much your partner really cared about you in the first place.
'Loving a person and giving them everything they want is not going to keep them from cheating. The decision to remain faithful is purely a personal decision and at any point in time a person can say they no longer wish to be in the relationship, to avoid being unfaithful to their partner,' the study's authors told Psypost.
These findings are in contrast to a 2020 study that reported a lack of love and intimacy in a relationship was linked to longer affairs and more public dates with the affair partner.
Past studies have also indicated that whether your partner cheats could come down to how good-looking they are, according to researchers at Harvard University.
Roughly 16 percent of married couples have admitted to being unfaithful at some point in their marriage while 57 percent end in divorce due to infidelity
A 2017 study reported that having an attractive male or female partner is like holding a biscuit in front of a dog - almost too irresistible to people outside of the partnership.
'More physically attractive individuals are more frequently the target of poaching attempts,' the study said.
According to TechReport, 16 percent of married couples have admitted to being unfaithful at some point in their marriage while 57 percent end in divorce due to infidelity.
'Researchers find that partnerships characterized by dissatisfaction, unfulfilling sex, and high conflict are at higher risk for infidelity,' Jeff Yoo, a marriage and family therapist at the Moment of Clarity Health Center told Brides Magazine.
'Communication and trust are the primary elements of a healthy relationship,' Yoo said, adding: 'When those fail, the relationship is destined to fail.'
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