The way a person cheats depicts the kind of affair they will have, a study suggests

Can someone’s motivations for cheating manifest into the kind of affair they’ll have?

According to research, there’s a correlation.

A recent study published in theJournal of Sex & Marital Therapyhighlights how a person’s intentions for cheating can affect how the affair is played out,

PsyPostreportedthat researchers discovered that those who admitted to cheating out of a lack of love or resentment toward their partners had affairs that lasted longer and were more likely to end their primary relationship.

Cheating was more common in situations like alcohol and stress, which resulted to shorter and less satisfying engagements.

Numerous studies have looked at infidelity. Most of these have been about cheating during a bad relationship.

However, study authorsDylan Selterman, the University of Maryland Department of Psychology, and his colleagues note that people’s experiences with infidelity vary.

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They can be motivated by personal goals such as increasing one’s self-esteem or seeking out a diverse sexual partner.

Researchers sought to find out if cheating was linked to certain feelings and behaviors as well as the outcomes of an affair.

There were 495 adults who had committed at least one act in adultery. Participants completed questionnaires detailing their motivations, actions, and the results.

Eight reasons were identified by the researchers for cheating. Indirectly, four were related to the primary relationship — anger towards one’s primary partner, loss of love for one’s primary spouse, lack of commitment to one’s primary partner, and perceived neglect from one’s primary partner.

Also mentioned were concerns over one’s self-esteem, desire to have more sex and desire for more partners.

The results showed those cheaters motivated by a lack of love for their partner had more emotionally, intellectually, and sexually rewarding affairs.

The length of affairs motivated by a lack of love, sexual variety or self-esteem was longer and featured more public displays of affection. However, situationsal affairs were less publicized, less sexually, emotionally, or intellectually satisfying and lasted less time.

It was also related to the length of the primary relationship. Cheating out of anger or lack of commitment was more common. They were also more likely to be left alone after the affair.

Cheating on purpose was less likely than those who cheat.

The deficit hypothesis of adultery states that cheating occurs due to unfulfilling relationships, including lack of dates, public displays affection, and uttering “I love you,” for example.

However, not all relationships are equal.

“The specifics of the affair can be linked with the motivation to have an affair in the first place,” SeltermantoldPsyPost.

Selterman and the team further shed light on people feeling shortcomings in their central relationships as they “may be seeking a deeper quality of romantic connection or intimacy” in affairs to supplement how they think about their ‘primary partners.”

People who cheated with anger were more inclined to confess to their partners, whilst those less angry were more likely to keep it hidden. The risk of confessing was also higher for those with lower levels of sexual desire and greater diversity.

Selterman and his coworkers continue to say that infidelity experiences vary from one relationship to the next. Recognizing the intricacies is key to understanding situations.