What does science reveal about infidelity?
Several researches provide new evidence about infidelity.
Is everything you hear about infidelity really true? Are men naturally more unfaithful, and do unfaithful women lie better? These are complicated questions to solve, but some scientific studies have attempted to unravel some of these issues.
Science and infidelity in data
The research findings are certainly revealing. For example, a research group at the University of Florida linked narcissism to infidelity during early marital cohabitation: "Sexual narcissism (which could well be defined as the self-image of conquest and sexual capabilities) correlates positively with infidelity."they state, having studied the case of a total of 125 marriages.
Another study looked at slippage in fishing marriages on Lake Victoria in Kenya. The purpose of the study was to to analyze the relationship between these infidelities and the spread of HIV.. Several factors were found to increase the likelihood of women having sex beyond marriage: "recurrence of gender-based violence, sexual dissatisfaction with a spouse, excessively large erect penises, and the inability to practice different sexual positions".
Are there "infidelity genes"?
Other research suggests that there may be certain genes related to infidelityThe behavior is motivated, in part, by genetic variations linked to the brain's reward pathways.
A study at Binghamton University pointed to the presence of a gene with high variability that appears to be a decisive factor in modulating a person's tendency to infidelity.. As the researchers explained, natural selection chooses one or the other variant of the gene according to the advantages or disadvantages offered by one or the other behavior in the way of relating to the opposite sex. However, they attest that sexuality, social behavior and genetics influence to an important degree, and that the results should be viewed with caution and only as one more indicator to be further investigated.
It appears that the frequency of faked orgasms is strongly linked to infidelity in women, and to dissatisfaction in couples, as a statistical study of 140 women and 120 men found. The authors of the research noted that "orgasm signaling was an element chosen by natural selection in ancestral women" in contexts where fidelity was rewarded and men collaborated in the care of offspring.
What is infidelity?
Although it may seem an easy question to answer, infidelity is not perceived in the same way by women and men.. At least that is the conclusion reached by research conducted by the University of Kansas, having evaluated a total of 475 people.
The study highlighted that men perceive infidelity as a sexual act, while women understand it as the consequence of an emotional desire. Ninety percent of women considered that kissing with another person is infidelitybut only 75% of the male participants agreed with this statement. On the other hand, 51% of men considered that sending racy text messages was infidelity, but the percentage rose to 68% in the female opinion.
Where does infidelity take place?
Data provided by the Ashley Madison dating site compiled among 170,000 users in the United States that 68% of infidelities take place in the workplace..
Certain times seem to be more prone to commit adultery. Several studies point to Wednesday afternoons as the time of the week when most affairs occur. Scientists at Harvard University explain that routine experiences and prolonged contact with the desired person. This routine can undermine the moral resistance to infidelity.
Why are we unfaithful?
Many people ask this question. Statistical research with more than 74,000 participants found that 45% of unfaithful women are unfaithful because they feel a strong attraction to the other person, while 32% confess to being unfaithful to feel more desired.while 32% confess to being unfaithful to feel more desired.
In men, infidelity seems to be more closely linked to sex: 48% said they cheated because they wanted more sex, and 46% said they wanted more variety.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)