Let’s face it – cheating has been around since people invented monogamy. Many are still baffled at the thought of infidelity. However, it’s far from unnatural behavior. Recently, scientists have uncovered some elements of a human’s psychology that can lead to infidelity. Without further ado, let’s find out more about a cheater’s behavioral patterns. Some of these patterns have been identified as key reasons behind affairs.
Cheating Patterns Finally Identified
The study was first published in Psychological Science last year and delves into the key patterns leading to affairs. Scientists commented that many behavioral patterns kept emerging when studying people who cheat.
To conduct the study, scientists studied 1,000 adults from Germany for over eight years. The aim was to identify how some aspects of their lives impacted their romantic relationships. According to researchers who took part in the study, infidelity had detrimental consequences both on personal and romantic relationships.
The question authors aimed to solve was whether the longitude for cheating is directly caused by external problems or if it’s a response to issues already present within the romantic relationship.
A Consequence to Stay Mindful Of
Closely observing the target group for nearly a decade, researchers came to the conclusion that cheating is more of a consequence than a cause of relationship troubles. In fact, they have touched upon hard-to-swallow aspects of a relationship, saying infidelity can well be the result of a lack of satisfaction in the first place.
The study also touched upon what happens in a person’s psychological state immediately after they cheat. Henceforth, researchers discovered that cheaters exhibit low self-esteem, low intimacy levels, and low levels of relationship satisfaction immediately after they commit infidelity.
Last but not least, scientists determined that major life changes can lead to lower levels of satisfaction within the relationship. Both perpetrators and victims of the test group also proved that the relationship hardly recovers after cheating has taken place.