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Apr 13, 2021 · Why Do Young People Cheat and Have Affairs? New research examines the reasons why people are unfaithful. Posted April 13, 2021 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan. Key points. There are 8 key reasons...
- Arash Emamzadeh
- Witnessing Cheating. Kids learn about relationships — and relationship dynamics — from the adults in their lives. So if someone grows up in an atmosphere where cheating is the norm, experts say it may make them more likely to emulate that behavior as an adult.
- Being Told They Should "Never Settle" Parents often teach their children to strive for the best and seek happiness at all costs. And yet — while that's a great lesson when applied to certain aspects of life — it can have a negative impact when it comes to future relationships.
- Being Told Their Feelings Don't Matter. When it comes to parenting, there's a fine line between giving a kid the right amount of emotional support, and giving too much or too little.
- Witnessing A Divorce. If someone witnesses a divorce as a kid, they can certainly come out of it unscathed and go on to have a happy, healthy relationship as an adult.
Mar 27, 2019 · Coming in at 24 percent, people ages 40 to 49 were the next most likely to cheat on their partner, according to the survey. And while it's anyone's guess as to the personal reasons for each...
- Overview
- 1. Anger or revenge
- 2. Falling out of love
- 3. Situational factors and opportunity
- 4. Commitment issues
- 5. Unmet needs
- 6. Sexual desire
- 7. Wanting variety
- 8. Low self-esteem
- Repairing the damage
Discovering a partner has cheated on you can be devastating. You might feel hurt, angry, sad, or even physically sick. But above all, you might be wondering “Why?”
A 2017 study published in The Journal of Sex Research set out to explore this very topic. The study used an online survey to ask 495 people who had cheated in a romantic relationship about the reasons for their infidelity.
Participants included 259 women, 213 men, and 23 people who did not state their gender.
They were:
•mostly heterosexual (87.9 percent)
•mostly young adults (average age was 20 years old)
People sometimes cheat out of anger or a desire to get revenge.
Maybe you just discovered your partner cheated. You’re stunned and hurt. You might want to make your partner go through the same emotions so they really understand the pain they caused you.
In other words, “They hurt me, so now I’ll hurt them” is often the driving thought behind retaliatory infidelity.
Anger-motivated infidelity can happen for reasons other than revenge, though, including:
•frustration in a relationship when your partner doesn’t seem to understand you or your needs
•anger at a partner who isn’t around much
The exhilarating feeling of falling in love with someone generally doesn’t last forever. When you first fall in love with someone, you might experience passion, excitement, and rushes of dopamine from simply getting a text from them.
But the intensity of these feelings usually fades over time. Sure, stable, lasting love exists. But those first-date butterflies will only take you so far.
Once the glitter fades, you might realize that the love just isn’t there. Or maybe you realize you’re in love with someone else.
Keep in mind that falling out of love doesn’t have to mean you don’t love each other.
Simply having an opportunity to cheat can make infidelity more likely. This doesn’t mean everyone who has the opportunity to cheat will do so. Other factors often (but not always) add to the motivation to cheat.
Consider this scenario: You’re frustrated with the recent distance in your relationship and dealing with feelings of low self-esteem around your appearance. One day, a coworker you’ve become friendly with catches you alone and says, “I’m really attracted to you. Let’s get together sometime.”
People who have a hard time with commitment may be more likely to cheat in some cases. Plus, commitment doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.
It’s possible for two people in a relationship to have very different ideas about the relationship’s status, such as whether it’s casual, exclusive, and so on.
It’s also possible to really like someone and still fear making a commitment to them. In this case, one partner might end up cheating as a way of avoiding commitment, even if they actually would prefer to stay in the relationship.
Other reasons for commitment-related infidelity might include:
•lack of interest in committing long-term
•wanting a more casual relationship
Sometimes, one or both partner’s needs for intimacy go unmet in a relationship. Many people choose to stay in the relationship, often hoping things will improve, especially if the relationship is otherwise fulfilling.
But unmet needs can lead to frustration, which might worsen if the situation doesn’t improve. This can provide motivation to get those needs met elsewhere.
Unmet sexual needs might happen when:
•partners have different sex drives
•one partner can’t have sex or doesn’t have interest in sex
•one or both partners often spend time away from home
A simple desire to have sex can motivate some people to cheat. Other factors, including opportunity or unmet sexual needs, may also play a part in infidelity that’s motivated by desire.
But someone who wants to have sex might also look for opportunities to do so without any other motivators.
In the context of a relationship, the desire for variety often relates to sex. For example, someone might be interested in trying types of sex that their partner isn’t into, even if they’re otherwise well-matched with their partner.
Variety might also mean:
•different conversations or styles of communication
•different non-sexual activities
•attraction to other people
•relationships with other people in addition to their current partner
Wanting a boost to self-esteem can also motivate infidelity.
Having sex with a new person can lead to positive feelings. You might feel empowered, attractive, confident, or successful. These feelings can build up your self-esteem.
Many people who cheat because of self-esteem issues have loving, supportive partners who offer compassion and encouragement. But they might think, “They have to say that,” or “They just don’t want me to feel bad.”
Receiving admiration and approval from someone new, on the other hand, can seem different and exciting. It may seem more genuine to someone with low self-esteem, who might assume that the new person has no “relationship obligation” to lie or exaggerate.
If there’s one major takeaway from this study, it’s that cheating often doesn’t have anything to do with the other person.
Many people who cheat love their partners and don’t have any desire to hurt them. This is partly why some people will go to great lengths to keep their infidelity from their partner. Still, it can cause significant damage to a relationship.
- Crystal Raypole
Apr 13, 2021 · Why Do Young People Cheat and Have Affairs? Motivations for cheating in young adults are reviewed. Posted Apr 13, 2021. KEY POINTS. Cheating is associated with a variety of factors (e.g.,...
Sep 28, 2023 · Although students often regard some forms of cheating, such as doing homework together when they are expected to do it alone, as trivial, the studies find that young people view cheating in...
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Sep 19, 2018 · Here are some personality traits and sneaky habits many cheaters have in common. You can't always predict cheating in a relationship, but there might be a few red flags that are making you...
