Researchers at Florida State University have published a report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that reveals couples with satisfied relationships are more likely to cheat than their unhappy counterparts. The study was conducted by university personnel after attempting to find out what factors led to a breakup, in an effort to try and prevent the act of infidelity. Researchers were able to deduce what kinds of people typically cheat based on "age, marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, attractiveness and history of short-term relationships."
Their findings concluded that those who are unsatisfied with their current relationship were still less likely to cheat than happier pairings who are supposedly content with one another. Researchers have theorized that individuals who have positive sexual experiences are more likely to seek other encounters with individuals outside of their monogamous relationship, as they feel that they can justify the reason behind their infidelity.
Researchers have concluded that "attractive women" are less likely to cheat compared to other, "less attractive women." Apparently, men are less likely to be unfaithful if they are partnered with someone who is more homely looking. Furthermore, men with a history of short-term flings prior to marriage are more likely to cheat, with the opposite being true for females.
These findings were based on a study that followed 233 couples for three-and-a-half years, documenting the "intimate details about their relationships, including marital satisfaction, long-term commitment, whether they had engaged in infidelity and if they were still together."
The team behind this research hopes to provide mental health practitioners new avenues to understand cheating a little more lucidly, especially since the divorce rate in America is around 50%.
