It’s no secret that when it comes to the human body, viruses are contagious. That’s why it’s so easy to catch a cold when a family member is sick. But what about infidelity? Did you know it can also be contagious?
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According to a new study published in the journal “Archives of Sexual Behaviour“, exposure to cheating can make this behavior seem “normal” in a monogamous relationship.
The research examined individuals who discovered the betrayal of others, to then verify whether they were more likely to be unfaithful. For this, participants from three studies directed at people in heterosexual monogamous relationships were tested.
Studies Analyzed
Study 1
The first study followed undergraduate students who had been in a serious relationship for at least four months. While some watched a video stating that infidelity occurs in 86% of relationships, others watched one stating it occurs in 11% of relationships.
Participants then wrote about a sexual fantasy with someone else. The results showed that the estimates in the videos did not affect the levels of desire for their current partners.
Study 2
The second study followed undergraduate students who had been in a heterosexual relationship for at least 12 months. Some read a confession of infidelity, while others read about cheating on university work.
They then looked at photos of 16 people and had to quickly decide if they could be their romantic partners. Those who read the confession about infidelity were more likely to respond “yes”.
Study 3
For the last study, students in heterosexual relationships for at least four months read the results of research indicating that romantic infidelity was present in 85% of relationships or that the prevalence of academic cheating was 85%.
Then they texted a research assistant, whose photo was linked to the app. This person asked them about interests, hobbies, and food preferences. At the end, they said, “You definitely piqued my curiosity! I hope to see you again, this time face to face.”
After the conversation, participants were asked about their attraction to the research assistant and their commitment to their current romantic partner. The results indicated that those who read statistics about cheating were less committed to their relationship and more likely to express a desire to talk to the research assistant again.
In all conditions, men were less committed to their relationships than women.
Exposure to infidelity increases risk of cheating
As a result, researchers attest that when infidelity is normalized and widespread in someone’s reality, the desire for their current partner decreases, and guilt feelings about potential infidelity are softened. On the other hand, desire for others increases.
“Knowing that other people are having extramarital affairs can make people more comfortable when they have these affairs,” the study’s authors stated. The information is from “Slice”.
