Why do people cheat? Science tells you (and sex doesn’t always matter)

There are many reasons why people are unfaithful and it’s not always about sex. Many people cheat out of anger, lack of love, lack of commitment, esteem, and abandonment. In addition, some of these cheating men just want to be discovered.
A partner’s infidelity can end the relationship, but not always. To understand how these different results are achieved, we need to go back to the beginning, which is why partners are unfaithful.

Generally, we tend to blame what is missing in the relationship, especially sexually.

But this is an oversimplification. A recently published study by British researchers Dylan Selterman, Justin Garcia and Irene Tsapelas found that only half of the people who cheat reported having had sexual intercourse. Of course, sex is part of the experience, but if cheating isn’t all about sex, then what motivates people to be unfaithful?

The reasons that lead to being unfaithful

To understand the factors leading to betrayal, the researchers interviewed 123 people between the ages of 17 and 25. To understand its actions, they gave them 77 elements that essentially asked: why did you do this? The analysis revealed eight key reasons, most of which were not about sex at all.

• anger
• lack of love
• little effort
• estimate
• situation
• abandonment

When people cheat because of anger or lack of love, their stories are longer, while those motivated by the situation have shorter relationships. Women also have longer relationships on average than men.

According to findings published in the British Journal of Psychology, impulsive people can cheat simply because they don’t pause to consider the situation and instead act according to their immediate thoughts and emotions.
Men are more likely to report primarily sexual motivation while women are more likely to be motivated by relationship dissatisfaction.